hackGU The Staircase to Nowhere
by MiraMisaki
Summary: Ryou Misaki is an ordinary teenager just trying to get through life. But after finding a mirror with mysterious powers, a strange girl named Atoli appears out of seemingly nowhere. Will Ryou ever be able to master his power? AU Ryou/HaseoXAtoli/Chigusa
1. A Melody of Melancholy

Well, after giving up on my last fanfiction, I got my writer's block lifted by this. It's considerably longer than my other works, so the chapters should generally take longer to write. Please, R&R!

NOTE: This fanfiction is AU, and "The World" does not exist.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own .hack or anything related to it, but I do own the idea so NOBODY STEAL (at least not without MY permission! .).

* * *

"_Come…"_

"What?" The space was black, slightly rippling as he stared at it. There was nothing here. No sight. No sound. No thought. No identity. He was nothing, no one. All around there was nothing but the continuing echo of that one, faint word, reverberating around unseen walls.

"_Come… close…for you… are…"_

"What am I? Who are you?" The voice was low, deep and he almost couldn't understand the speaker. He couldn't see who was speaking, but could sight was no longer a necessity. He could almost _feel_ the oppressive presence bearing down on him. "Where am I? What am I?"

"_You… are… Necessary…"_

"…What…? I don't…"

"… _Epi…taph…Ava…tar…Guardi…an… You must… take on… the burden…"_

"What?" He was being left with a feeling of stupidity. He couldn't see where or what the presence was, but he reached out, hoping to find the source of the voice. He touched the darkness, creating ripples like the waves of a pond, then cracked like a huge pane of black glass, little miniscule cracks growing and extending outward, upward, downward, until the light began to filter in, like an enormous, glowing spider web. And then he was falling. Falling… Falling… Falling forever into the infinite abyss, where there would be no answers.

Only questions.

* * *

.hack//G.U. The Staircase to Nowhere

* * *

Chapter one: A Melody of Melancholy

* * *

Ryou Misaki awoke to find himself sweating. He panted slightly, still recovering from the shock of the dream. He lifted up his hand from underneath the quilt of his bed and wiped the sweat off of his forehead, pushing his pale white hair out of his face. He exhaled and sat up. Rubbing his temples, he tried to calm himself and stop his heart from pounding at six thousand miles per hour. His head throbbed, like someone had opened his head while he was sleeping and stuck a large rugged rock behind his brain. Or like he had fallen off the side of a building and landed on the back of his head. Either way, his head hurt really badly.

He looked across the room to his open door, which he had been certain he had closed last night before he had gone to bed and received his nightly torture. Light poured in from the door and also the window on the wall to the left of him, half-blinding him and causing him to lift his arm up to shield his deep red eyes. Sunlight had never agreed with him, and his hypersensitivity to sunlight was genetic.

Or in other words, inescapable.

Still shielding his eyes, he tossed the covers to the end of the bed, where they laid in a wrinkled heap. He stood up, slouched across the room, and drew the thick, black, felt curtains across the vicious sunlight that was restricting his sight. Immediately darkness fell on his bedroom, and he was able to relax and look across to the doorway. His bedroom, or his "cave", as his mother liked to call it. It was his space, where he could do whatever he wanted and keep it however he wanted it. He started towards the doorway, intent on restoring the full darkness to the room, when he tripped on something.

Hitting the floor with a resounding thud, Ryou cursed under his breath. He also hadn't remembered his chair being folded up on the floor when he had went to sleep. With a string of curses uttered under his breath, he got up and closed the door, giving him his sight back. He looked around the room, knowing that he should eventually just suck it up and adjust to the sunlight, but he put the thoughts out of his mind, instead focusing on the disturbances to his "ordered mess" as he liked to call it. Not only had the door been opened and the chair knocked over, but the phone had been knocked off of the receiver, the rather large pile of dirty shirts and pants was strewn across the floor, several of the hideous dolls his aunt had sewn him were knocked off of the bookshelf, and the analog clock, which was set five hours ahead as he preferred it, had been turned upside-down.

"_If I didn't have an abominable little sister, none of this would have been an issue." _He thought bitterly. He went to work, restoring his personalized order to the room. It didn't take long, Ryou had designed his system for convenience, not scrupulous organization where there wouldn't be a spot of dirt anywhere. Ryou's room was far from perfect, but it suited him fine. It was his one space where he could get away from the harsh stares, the stereotypes, the giggles and the gossip. It was where he felt he belonged.

He looked at the digital clock on his desk. The day read Sunday. The day where his mother dragged him and his sister to church, where they were taught to be good little children with no sins and the other youth spoke to each other in whispered secrets and pointed fingers. He loathed it and the people there, save for maybe one. His youth group leader was possible the nicest old man there could be. He taught Ryou the most amazing lessons, told him that he shouldn't let the other youth bring him down just because of how he looked, and was possibly the only positive influence in his life. He told him that being an individual was a good thing, and that he should stand tall and not be afraid to stand out in a crowd. The other youth hated him, thought he was a boring, rambling old man, but Ryou adored him. To Ryou, he was a beacon of hope.

He walked into his closet, also a wreck by his preference, and selected a clean white dress shirt and black dress pants. He never really bothered with a tie, so he grabbed his black socks and left the closet. Walking back to the bed, he began to get dressed. He pulled his socks on first, then pulled his pants on. His shirt always came last. That way, if he was walked in on, then generally he already had his pants on. He was okay with people seeing his torso, but his pale, scrawny legs… He refused to allow something so awkward to happen.

Standing in front of the door, he took a deep breath. It was time for his eyes to adjust. The first few seconds were always the worst. All he really needed to do was make it across the hallway to the bathroom and he would be okay from there. Artificial light he could handle, despite there being no light bulbs in his room by his own choice. But it was natural light that hurt him. It felt like someone was stabbing needles in his eyes. He sighed, and turned the handle.

Sprinting across the hallway with his eyes closed, Ryou felt the bathroom door open in front of him. He sighed, turned around, closed the door, and flicked on the light. He opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the light. He couldn't see for about three seconds, but slowly the blinding glare of the light subsided and he could see his reflection in the mirror. It was always the part of getting ready that he despised. He stood by the closed door, staring at himself. People had always commented that he would be so handsome, if he didn't have just that one flaw.

That's always what people saw. Flaws. Never the positive. Always thinking negatively. They never stopped to consider that he could be an amazing person even with that one completely irrelevant flaw. But they never did. They always judged on the outward appearance, never the light inside. It hurt him so badly, that people were so shallow. But he stared at himself in the mirror, hating himself for what he couldn't change. For what he would always be.

He was an albino.

Splashing water on his face, he stared at his deep red eyes. They always unnerved people. They never considered that just because he _looked_ different, didn't mean that he was a bad person. He would have been pretty good looking if his shaggy hair wasn't pale white. He sighed, and turned to face the sun. Opening the door, he came face to face with the bad tempered witch that called herself his mother. She was wearing her standard Sunday dress, a blue and green streaked dress that showed off a little too much of her cleavage for Ryou's comfort. He stared the woman in her face and she began her usual verbal smack-down.

"Just look at you." She spat, "You are completely indecent. You haven't ironed your shirt or pants, your hair is a wreck, and you look like you literally rolled out of bed. Do you ever stop for two seconds to look at yourself in the mirror? You clearly have no sense of fashion or hygiene. And you never come out of that cave of yours when I call you! Irresponsible, incompetent, arrogant wretch! Show some decency to your peers and your mother!" She then took the liberty of spitting in his face.

Ryou's face burned red. This woman wasn't even his mother! Where did she come off telling him what he could or couldn't do or how he should or shouldn't look? He wiped the spit out of his face as passively as he could, hoping not to hint at any rage. He had lived with the constant tear down for a year now since his father had died. His real mother, a kind, caring, loving woman, had died when he was fourteen. The shock had devastated both him and his father. His father, who was hit much harder than Ryou, basically went out and got drunk. He then met Tomoyo, who worked in the bar. She seduced him, tricked him into marrying her, and Ryou got a new Step-mother and Step-sister, the daughter from Tomoyo's previous marriage. His father, completely oblivious, didn't understand the depths of Tomoyo's cruelty. She didn't care two wits about Ryou, instead focusing on herself and her daughter's needs, but mostly on the former's. His father then died of heartache when Ryou was sixteen, leaving Ryou completely alone, starved for love and understanding. Tomoyo and her daughter, Mina, were horrible to him. Ryou sometimes wondered if his real mother and his father were watching from above, his father heartbroken over his mistake and the situation he had left Ryou in and his mother wishing quietly she could help him somehow.

He bit his tongue and endured the tirade, although he did let the rage inside of him swell to new heights. She then proceeded to drag him down the stairs of _his_ house, as it had been very clear in his father's will that Ryou would be left the house, shove him out the door, and lock the door. He sighed, and knew the routine. He would be so glad to be rid of those two in six months. Once he turned eighteen, he knew, as he had looked it up many times, he would be his _own_ legal guardian and would be able to legally kick the demonic woman and her equally demonic daughter out of _his_ house. He walked to his car, as he could drive, and got in, starting the engine and getting away from the house. It was like an enormous weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. As he drove the winding streets, he remembered quite suddenly the dream he had had.

He had been floating in an empty darkness. He hadn't been able to see or feel. All he was doing was standing on nothing. Then the voice. The deep, barely understandable voice that had spoken to him. What had it said to him? Something about necessity, and about a burden… What was the last thing it had said? Epitaph? He didn't know what to make of the dream. But it always ended the same way. He would reach out into the darkness, but it would harden and crack, and then he would fall. The dream would be over then, after reaching the end of infinity.

He pulled slowly to a stop in front of a stoplight that had moments before been yellow. He sighed. The faster he got to church, the faster he could talk to Old-Chan, as he liked people to call him. He needed to talk about what Tomoyo and Mina did to him, or he would have probably gone insane a long time ago. Thankfully, Old-Chan was very content to talk to Ryou and offer him advice. He understood Ryou's situation and needs. The light turned green, and Ryou was about to turn the corner when a tiny, deep, almost inaudible voice screamed as loud as it could, which albeit wasn't that loud;

"_NO! NOT YET!!!"_

Ryou pulled his foot off the gas pedal and watched as approximately five seconds after the light turned green a dark blue truck came barreling through the intersection like a bullet. There had been people honking at him to go, but as soon as the truck came through, all of the horns stopped abruptly. Everyone understood. Ryou was shaking. Tentatively he put his foot on the gas pedal, and turned through the intersection. He was sweating slightly, understanding the weight of what had happened. It seemed impossible, but if it was impossible, then how did he explain what had just happened? There was only one explanation for it.

If Ryou had turned immediately after the light had turned, he would have been rammed from the side by that truck and it's crazy driver.

But Ryou had been warned by a little voice.

And Ryou listened.

Still shaking slightly, he turned into the church parking lot. Finding an empty parking space close to the side door, he pulled in and turned off the engine. The church building that Ryou and his "family" went to had four doors, one in the north, south, east, and west. Ryou preferred to enter by one of the side doors, the east or west door, rather than the front, to avoid people. Walking up the steps to the door, he was about to push it open when he heard a soft and familiar voice call from behind him;

"Well, good morning, Brother Misaki."

He leaned against the door and couldn't help but smile. The old man was good.

"Good morning to you as well, Old-Chan." He replied turning around to face the only person on the face of the earth that treated him like a human being. "How is your morning so far?" He asked, walking down the steps to help the old man. Old-Chan always waited for Ryou at the west door, the only door with stairs. Even though he walked with a cane, he never complained. Ryou always helped him up the stairs, and the two of them would talk about their mornings.

"It's been alright so far," He started, sounding slightly tired, "However, Brother Misaki, it seems as though my hip has been bothering me more as of late. It has been a rather uncomfortable affair."

"Your war wound, right?" Ryou asked, expressing sincere concern. "I hope it's not serious. I'm going to need you for a long time to come." He laughingly put an emphasis on long.

The old man smiled. They had reached the top of the stairs and Ryou was about to pull the door open for him. "Quite so." He replied. "Either way, I plan on being around for a long time. Alas, you haven't told me about your morning yet."

Ryou lost his grip on the door. His morning had been strange to say the least, but he wasn't sure he felt comfortable telling Old-Chan. He sighed, and began to recount his morning. "Well, I woke up and Mina had screwed up my room and left the window and door open. So I fixed everything, got dressed and went into the bathroom to wash my face. When I opened the door, "mommy dearest"," Sarcasm was layered thickly in his voice when he referred to the witch, "started telling me off."

"Oh my…" Old-Chan gasped, "What did she say?"

"Oh, the usual. I'm pathetic, I disgrace my father's name, I'm an irresponsible, incompetent, arrogant wretch, I need to show decency to my peers and my mother, the works." He practically spat out the word "mother". He opened the door and helped Old-Chan through the doorway, taking care to make sure that his cane didn't get stuck. Gratefully, he listened as Old-Chan gave him the advice he so longed for.

"You just need to be patient. Not just with time, but with Tomoyo as well. I can't really understand why she treats you so horribly, but perhaps she is merely misguided. All I can tell you is to be patient with her. She is a terrible woman, hardly a human being, but the world is a cruel place, and all you can do is be patient. Understand, Brother Misaki?" He smiled kindly.

"Yeah." Ryou responded slightly absentmindedly. Patience? With that demon? Was that even possible?

"Now," Old-Chan continued, "Continue telling me about your morning, if you don't mind, Brother Misaki."

"Oh, right." He said, eyeing the clock on the wall. There was still ten minutes until the sermon started. "Well, after she had given me a suitable tirade, she kicked me out as usual, and I drove here." He paused, debating whether or not to talk about the would-be car accident.

"I see." Old-Chan said quietly. "Did anything else happen?"

"_He's good."_ Ryou thought.

"Well, I almost got into a car accident." He admitted. "I was at an intersection and the light turned green for me to turn. I was about to go, but…" He let the thought trail off.

"But…?" Old-Chan asked, urging him to go on.

"A voice in my head told me to stay. So I waited for about five seconds, and this idiot in a truck came barreling through the intersection like a rabbit on crack. Then I came here and talked to you." He finished.

Old-Chan was silent. Ryou looked at his eyes. They were hazy, distant. He gently grabbed his arm and helped him to his usual place in the front row of the tabernacle. Bowing, he told him he would see him during class, and walked to the back of the room, where he noticed his usual spot had been taken. He liked to sit in the back right corner, where he could see the minister, but nobody could see him. Instead, a skinny girl with shoulder-length black hair sat, looking slightly uncomfortable. She was wearing a black silk skirt and a black silk top, with black leather boots to complete the ensemble. She had a black purse as well, which was resting on the floor.

She noticed Ryou staring at her, and looked up. Her dark eyes met his deep red, but none of the usual shock was present in her facial expressions. She instead smiled, and greeted him cheerfully.

"Good morning!" She said happily, standing up.

"Uh, good morning…" He said, slightly taken aback. Nobody ever greeted him cheerfully before, especially not a girl. "Are you visiting? I don't think I've seen you here before."

"Yes, I'm visiting." The girl replied cheerfully. She didn't seem to be much younger than he was. "I don't like sitting where everyone can see me, though, and I take it you don't either. Right?"

"… _Don't…"_

"Huh?" He thought he heard the voice again. Maybe he really was going insane.

"… _Don't… Trust… Her…!"_

"R-right…" This day was just getting weirder and weirder. "I guess I'll see you later, then?"

"Yeah, later." The girl sat down and began to fiddle with her purse. Ryou walked over to the opposite side of the room, his sense of unease growing stronger and stronger.

* * *

The girl looked over at Ryou. She sighed, and delved into her thoughts, trying to straighten things out.

"It's him alright." She thought-spoke. Thought-speech was a gift she had. "I can just tell. It's written all over him."

"_Yes…" _The voice in her head responded. _"He has the mark of the Terror of Death on him. There is no mistaking it. He is the one."_

"We'll have to watch over him carefully." She replied. "It might be dangerous to leave him by himself right now. He's at the transition stage."

"_I hated that stage." _Voice input. _"But if we don't help him transition, it could be disastrous, my lady."_

"Yeah…" She agreed. There was a pause, before Voice spoke up again.

"_He's… Already communicated."_

"What?!?" She nearly jumped in shock. Thankfully, she managed to keep her composure. "That's impossible. Communication can't happen without the medium."

"_Then how do you explain this morning's… incident?" _Voice replied. She was silent. _"He communicated just now, as well, when you were addressing him. He's exerting far more power than I ever had. Big Brother may have been asleep the longest, but he's also the most dangerous."_

"So, you're all siblings now?" She asked sarcastically.

"_It was a metaphor. Show some sense of humor, my lady."_ Voice replied. There was another pause. _"My lady, his fatal flaw is worse than we had anticipated."_

"Yeah, I know. Thankfully, it's avoidable…" She paused for a moment before continuing the thought. "… And exploitable."

"_I suppose it's better than being physically debilitated like we are, right, my lady?"_

"Yeah. Way better." She glanced down at her wrist.

"_Don't forget, we have to gain his trust. That is crucial."_

She sighed.

"I know, Innis. I know."

* * *

Ryou was only half awake during the sermon. He never really listened intently to the stupid priest saying crap like all sinners must and will go to Hell and that God would strike down the unworthy and the blasphemous. When the closing hymn came around, Ryou was almost completely asleep, only to be awoken by the slightly out of tune organ at the front of the tabernacle blasting out a very badly played version of "The Spirit of God". After the prayer, everyone immediately began talking and leaving to go to their various classes. Ryou immediately walked to the youth hall, where he eagerly awaited the lesson from Old-Chan.

Taking his seat at the back of the room, he watched as the other youth came in, snickering at him and turning to their friends and whispering. He supposed that people like the black-haired girl were one in a million, as rare as people like him were. He sighed as everyone took their seats. Old-Chan stood up in the front of the classroom, waiting for silence. Everyone quieted down, and he began.

"Welcome, everyone. I'm so glad to see all of your wonderful faces. But I'm especially glad to see a wonderful new face." He turned his head to the black-haired girl that had sat in Ryou's spot during the sermon, who was standing by the door. She blushed as everyone looked at her. Old-Chan continued. "Come up the front and introduce yourself, dear." She stumbled up to the front nervously, with her hands clasped together in front of her chest.

"M-my name is Atoli." She said quietly. Apparently speaking in front of groups wasn't her forte. "I'm just visiting today from… out of town."

"I see!" Old-Chan said happily. "And are you visiting anyone in particular?"

"… A friend." Atoli said cryptically.

"Wonderful! You can have a seat then Miss Atoli. I believe there is an empty chair beside Ryou in the back. That's him with the white hair."

Snickers and whispers ran through the group, and Ryou's face burned bright red. Angrily, he shot them all death glares and silently wished them horrible painful deaths. Atoli walked back and sat down next to him, her face still bright red from the embarrassment of having to introduce herself. Ryou tried to ignore her, and was quite successful. He listened as Old-Chan began to teach his lesson, about loving who you are. Ryou sighed. It was as if he always focused the lesson on something that Ryou had trouble with. He began to talk about being an individual and that there is a reason no two people are alike. That our spirits are unique and so our bodies are unique as well. He then held up a wicker basket that had what looked to be Dollar Store hand mirrors. Old-Chan passed the basket around the room.

The basket started in the front, and snaked its way towards the back. By the time it reached him and Atoli, there was one left. Atoli took the basket as it was given to her, looked inside at the mirror, and passed it to Ryou with what seemed to him like a look of hidden shock. He took the basket and looked at the mirror. He reached inside and pulled it out to take a better look at it. As his fingers brushed it, he could have sworn that he felt a pulse of warmth rush up the veins in his fingers, through his arm and toward his heart. The warmth stayed there, right around his heart, giving him a warm feeling of safety and comfort. He looked at the mirror in his hand.

It was round and painted smoothly in shiny black paint. It was inlaid with round, deep red stones, one large one in the center, and seven around the edges, which Ryou assumed were fake. Either way, they were pretty, and there was gold paint trimming the edges and around the jewels. He looked at the bottom of the mirror and found it was solid black. Turning it back over, he stared at the large round jewel. It almost seemed like it was alive with fire, and he saw that it was almost the same shade as his eyes. He wondered why the Dollar Store had something so pretty.

His ears perked up as Old-Chan began go tell them to close their eyes and open the mirror. Ryou did so, shutting them tight. He then opened the mirror, and held it up in front of where he knew he would be able to see himself. He heard Old-Chan tell them to open their eyes, and opened them, only to be blinded by sunlight. He squeezed his eyes shut, cursing at himself for being so stupid and reflecting the sunlight in his eyes. Making sure to angle the mirror so the sunlight wouldn't blind himself, he opened his eyes and stared at the reflection of himself in the tiny mirror. He saw the messy white hair, the blazing red eyes, and the sad expression on his face. He looked at himself in shame.

The rest of the class Ryou sat in a daze, wondering why he had been born with such a horrible life. He didn't notice anyone, not even Atoli when she tried to talk to him quietly. He felt dead. He wanted to be dead. He wanted to be alone. With nobody else around, maybe he could finally be at peace. It seemed as though the world was against him, nothing offering him comfort or solace. He suddenly heard that same voice in his head, whispering to him, seeming somehow stronger than the last time he had heard it.

"_Finally…"_ It said, seeming to sigh in relief. _"It seemed as though I would never be able to freely talk to you."_

Ryou nearly fell out of the chair. He managed to maintain his composure, and think back to the voice.

"What are you? Who are you?"

The voice seemed to chuckle. _"I'm you. Well, sort of. It's kind of a touch and go relationship. Hey, you're pretty good at thought-speech already! I might just get used to this."_

"You still haven't fully answered my question." He thought irritably.

"_True. But all things shall be revealed, and I think I'll let fate take this wherever the heck it wants to. I'm gonna let this play out and see how it ends."_

"Wait! What are you talking about?" He thought. He was getting even more confused by the second.

"_Heh, well, I guess I'll give you one spoiler. If you want to talk to me, just hold on to that mirror. It's our medium. With it we can talk freely. Without it, I have to expend power to talk to you, which is rather quite a pain. But for now, I'm pretty sleepy from having to yell at you so much today. See ya."_ He could feel the presence of the voice fading. Feeling slightly cheated out on answers, he didn't want the voice to go.

"Wait! Don't go away!." He thought desperately.

"_What?" _The voice responded irritably.

"Just answer me one more question." He thought firmly.

"_Alright, I'm waiting."_ The voice replied.

"What are you, really?" He asked, hoping for a straightforward answer.

There was a pause, before the voice seemed to sigh and reply wearily;

"… _Your Epitaph."

* * *

_TBC 


	2. A Harmony of Hopelessness

I'M SO SORRY!!! gets on knees and begs for forgiveness I've just been having the worst Writer's Block! Literally, I started this chapter about a dozen times before it came out right. I will try to get the next chapter up soon, maybe even as soon as tomorrow! (Yay for Mid-Winter Break! -)

To all the people who favorited this story or me as an author, THANK YOU!!! It makes me feel loved.. -

DISCLAIMER TIME!!!: I don't own .hack, but I do happen to be the creater of the AUness, SO DO NOT STEAL! MINE!!!

On with the show! R&R Please

* * *

Chapter two: A Harmony of Hopelessness

* * *

The sunset never looked so bleak. The shadows seemed lighter, the areas where the sunlight strayed wasn't as bright as it usually was. Ryou's eyes weren't pained by it as much as they normally were. He sat on the hard park bench, glaring at passersby who saw fit to stare at him. His head was swirling with questions. Questions that he wanted answers to.

What was this "Epitaph" that had spoken to him so familiarly? He had tried touching the little black hand mirror several times, with no response. A few times, though, he had gotten some faint snickering, but that was all. He was getting very pissed off at this "Epitaph".

What had his "Epitaph" meant when he (yes, Ryou knew it was male, the voice was clearly masculine) had said that the mirror was a "medium"? He figured it meant more than just being able to talk to his "Epitaph", but he couldn't figure it out. Thankfully, he had figured out that "Thought Speech" was the way they communicated. It seemed different from ordinary thought, but he just couldn't lay his finger on how. It seemed that when thinking privately, it was exactly that. The thoughts seemed better protected away from the prying consciousness of his "Epitaph". Where as Thought Speech seemed more open. More shared.

He wanted to know more, but he was only ending up with more questions. But two questions stood out in his mind.

"_How is this possible?"_

And…

"_I'm not going insane, am I?"_

He heard faint snickering again, and noticed that his fingers had brushed the mirror. He swore inwardly and put it in his pocket. He wasn't sure it would be safe, though, his pockets were fairly shallow, and he was running the risk of it falling out while he was walking. He stood up and walked down the cement path, passing several joggers on a late evening run and other random people as he walked towards the stand of forest that the park protected.

There were paths weaving through the forest, but Ryou almost never took them. The grass in between the trees was free of weeds or thorns, so he always took his own path, weaving through the trees hoping that he could one day get lost for real in the trees. But unfortunately for him, he was born with an uncanny sense of direction. He remembered once when someone had blindfolded him, spun him around about five times, and asked him which direction he was facing. North, he had said, and he was sure of it, because it just so happened to be the direction he was facing. The person had done it three more times, and he had answered correctly each time. It was impossible for Ryou Misaki to get lost, much to his dismay.

He was absentmindedly weaving his way though the trees when he felt a panicked presence in the back of his mind. It was pressing hard on his mind, and he instantly recognized the feeling. He reached into his pocket for the hand mirror, clasping his fingers around it firmly. Instantly his Epitaph's voice filled his head, ringing with anger and concern.

"_There's something there…!" _His Epitaph cried. _"Whatever it is, it is not your friend. Got it? I'm sensing something very bad ahead…"_

Ryou looked around, but it was pitch black by now, save for the light of the rising moon filtering in sparsely from the east, which offered little light. Suddenly he felt it. There wasn't any need to see, the feeling was all he needed to guide him. It was close. Very close. He held his hand out in front of him to make sure that he wouldn't hit anything, feeling his way toward the presence. He felt he was getting closer, but he couldn't be sure. All he knew was that the oppressive force was getting closer. It seemed to bear down on him like a wave, each new wave of feeling stronger than the last. He could almost feel emotions coming through the presence. Resentment, rage, grief, ecstasy, they swam through the waves that pressed down on his mind, making his passage through the forest that much harder. Every step was heavier, weighted down by the influx of emotions that weren't his.

A scream shattered the darkness like glass. High-pitched, feminine, and tortured. Ryou broke into a sprint. Thankfully he could see a little bit better, since the moon had gotten a bit higher in the sky. Racing through the trees and the slanting shafts of silvery opaque moonlight, he came upon a clearing, where his eyes beheld something that just that very morning he would have thought impossible.

A skinny human figure was lying on the ground, convulsing uncontrollably. The surface of the figure was swirling black, obscuring the person's face from view. The blackness seemed to be attached to strange black tendrils that extended along the ground, disappearing in the shadows of the trees. Ryou nearly doubled over; the weight of the emotions was almost unbearably heavy. There was no doubt that this was the source of the presence.

He reached for the little black mirror in his pocket, but the moment he tried, an uncontrollable rage swept through him, causing him to double over in pain and collapse as it left him, utterly drained. His strength gone, all he was left with was a cold, empty feeling. It felt to Ryou like the end had come upon him, and there was nothing he could do. He put his last amount of energy into moving his hand into his pocket, where his fingers barely brushed the smooth cold mirror.

Even the brief, fleeting touch filled him with strength and warmth. It moved from his fingertips through his arm and along his shoulder to his heart, where it warmed him and pushed all of the confusing oppressive emotions out, leaving him feeling content and complete. With his newfound strength, he gripped the mirror tightly, pulling it out of his pocket as he stood up. He could feel his Epitaph in his mind, waiting for him to speak up.

He didn't let the opportunity slide.

"_What do I do?"_ He asked his Epitaph.

"_Open it."_ The voice replied calmly.

"_Open it?"_ He asked, not understanding how that would help.

"_When you open it at night, it releases a special kind of my power. I have a lot of powers, but the one you need right now is called by simply opening the mirror."_ Was the Epitaph's response. Ryou could almost sense eagerness in his voice.

Ryou looked at the little black and red mirror. He faced it away from himself, and following the Epitaph's instructions, opened the mirror. He heard his Epitaph scream with what seemed like a mix between joy and rage. He felt something warm traveling through his arms and into the mirror; something that Ryou could only describe as power. The moment he opened it, sunlight poured out of the larger of the two mirrors. Ryou squinted as a reflex, but realized almost immediately that he didn't need to. The sunlight didn't hurt.

He pointed the mirror at the horribly disfigured person. The instant the sunlight hit the darkness, it seemed to scream, and it released its grip on the poor person. It retreated back into the trees, where it seemed to disappear. Ryou could tell it was gone; the waves of emotions had ceased. He pointed the sunlight down at the tortured figure to reveal…

Atoli.

She was sprawled out unconscious on the ground, breathing quickly. Ryou ran over to her and knelt down next to her. He shook her gently, hoping she would wake up. She didn't. He leaned his face in a little closer to her ear.

"Atoli…? Hey, Atoli! Wake up… Please…? Come on, Atoli… Wake up…" He shook her again, but despite all of his efforts, her eyes remained stubbornly closed. He looked around, wondering if there was something he could do, when a glimmer to his left caught his eye.

A turquoise hand mirror.

At first, he just stared at it numbly, not really registering what it was. Then his mind started to reel as it put the pieces together. He crawled over to the spot where the hand mirror was resting. He looked at it carefully. It was almost exactly similar to his, except the casing was turquoise blue and the jewels were lime green. He reached out to it, but his Epitaph instantly slammed against his mind, sending him reeling. He touched the hand mirror and swore, knowing perfectly well that his Epitaph could hear it.

"_What was THAT for?"_ He asked irately.

"_I was just sparing you pain at the hands of the Mirage of Deceit. Or would you rather have been shocked by the stupidity of your actions?" _Ryou could hear the smugness in his voice, but ignored it and addressed his other questions.

"_Mirage of Deceit? What are you talking about?"_

"_I can feel it. That mirror is the medium for the Mirage of Deceit. She's like me, but she exists in that girl's mind."_ He said vaguely, and Ryou could tell he was deliberately leaving out details. _"Drag that girl over here and get her to touch the mirror. That should help her wake up."_

Heeding his Epitaph's advice, he crawled back over to where Atoli was sleeping. Carefully, he gripped her arm and dragged her gently over to where the mirror was resting on the ground. Softly, he set her down and moved her arm over the mirror. He rested her palm on top of the mirror, and he could almost see the color return to her face. He gently tapped her on the shoulder.

* * *

"Atoli?"

She heard the voice, but couldn't put a face to it.

"Atoli…?"

She could feel someone shaking her gently, but she just didn't know who. She was surrounded by darkness. All she knew was that whoever was shaking her had dragged her over to where her mirror had fallen and put her hand on it. Whoever it was knew about Epitaphs. It had instantly brought her back to consciousness, but she was still very weak. Too weak to open her eyes. With what strength she could muster, she spoke to her Epitaph.

"_I… Innis…?"_ She reached out quietly.

"_M…My… My lady…?"_ Innis responded weakly.

"_I'm s… so weak… Innis… Do you have any… power to spare for me…?"_ She asked, praying that Innis wasn't completely drained.

There was a long pause before the Epitaph spoke again. _"I… believe so… But it will leave me completely drained… my lady…"_ Atoli's heart sank. She needed strength, but she knew she'd be completely helpless without Innis to help her. After all, if she was going to leave, then she needed her. If she had to fight, she needed her. She couldn't let Innis drain herself for her sake.

"_N… No, Innis… I'll just wait… until I get my own strength back…"_ She hoped her Epitaph would oblige to her decision and not give up the remains of her power.

Very abruptly, she felt someone touching her face. It was a finger, stroking her cheek. That same soft voice was calling her name quietly.

"Atoli…? Atoli… Wake up… please…?"

She so desperately wanted to be able to open her eyes or even her mouth to speak and tell them that she was alright. She suddenly felt a hand on her cheek. It was warm, full of life and power. She could almost feel the strength flowing through whoever it was that was there. Then, rather unexpectedly, she began to feel stronger. It felt like whoever was there was transferring power to her. She felt her strength begin to return, and she breathed deeply, exhaling slowly. She then opened her eyes and groaned. Whoever had saved her was sitting behind her; she realized when all she saw in front of her was grass. Slowly, she turned herself onto her back…

… And found herself staring into the bright red eyes of Ryou Misaki.

* * *

"You… You're… That guy… from earlier today… R… Ryou… right…?" Atoli asked quietly, still apparently very weak.

"Yeah." He said, turning his head away, obviously embarrassed. He didn't know why he was embarrassed; maybe it was just the fact that a girl was staring up at his face.

"What's… wrong…?" She tilted her head slightly.

"Nothing…" He avoided her gaze, knowing she was looking at his eyes.

"If you think… that I think you… look strange… I don't…" She said weakly.

Ryou's eyes widened. Never had he ever heard someone say those words. He looked back down at Atoli. She was smiling kindly.

"I… think that your eyes… are pretty… Red is such a pretty color…" Atoli went on.

"Uh…" The conversation was getting more and more awkward. He tried to change the subject. "What was that stuff?"

Her eyes grew sad. "I… don't really know… But whatever it was, it hurt. A lot… It felt like… Someone else was inside my head… beating on my brain with a mallet…"

He stared at her. "That's an… interesting description…"

Her eyes grew wide, and she sat up abruptly. "Are you-" Her sentence was cut off by her limbs losing the strength to hold herself upright. She fell backward, but was quickly caught by Ryou, who held her up. She blushed slightly, and could feel her cheeks turning pink. She tried to compose herself. "Are you… the Terror of Death…?"

Ryou stared at her blankly. He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Terror of Death…? It seemed vaguely familiar, but from where, he hadn't the slightest idea. He felt his Epitaph pressing against his mind, so he reached into his pocket with his free hand and touched the mirror.

"_I'm willing to bet that you're just dying for me to ask."_ He thought sarcastically.

"_Naturally."_ The voice responded.

"_Alright, I'll bite. What does she mean by 'Terror of Death'?"_

"_It's our title. The same way she and her Avatar are the Mirage of Deceit, we're the Terror of Death."_

"_Avatar…?"_ He wasn't familiar with the term.

"_Another word for Epitaph."_ The Avatar replied plainly.

"I… I guess so…" He said, answering Atoli's question.

"Really? Really and truly?" Her eyes lit up with what seemed like hope. "Finally! I've finally found you!" Quite unexpectedly, she wrapped her arms around him. His face burned bright red. "I've been searching for so long… It seemed like forever…"

"Uh… What…?" He was even more confused now.

"Oh, there's so much I have to teach you! Oh, but first…" She picked up her mirror and put it in her pocket. "I need to show you the key to everything."

"The… What now?" His head was spinning. Everything was happening so fast.

"You won't understand anything I'm about to tell you unless you see this." She stood up, shakily, and walked over to the center of the clearing. She removed the mirror from her pocket, and lifted it to her lips. She whispered something that Ryou could barely hear.

"_Chigusa…"_

He was about to ask her what she had said, but the words died on his tongue. Atoli held the mirror out in front of her and opened it. Turquoise light poured out, creating what looked like a doorway. Ryou couldn't see what was beyond the doorway, it was all blackness. Atoli stepped forward, then turned to face him. She smiled sweetly.

"Welcome back, Terror of Death…"

She then turned and went through the doorway, disappearing from his sight. He reached out, not wanting her to go, but then realized that she most likely wanted him to follow her. He hesitantly stepped up to the doorway, and realized that it was a set of stairs descending downward. He walked down the stairs slowly, and eventually caught up to Atoli. He walked next to her, with a million questions running rampant through his mind. Finally he decided on which to ask first.

"What is this place?" He turned his head to look at her.

"This place is called the Realm of Infinite Staircases." She responded sweetly. "It's a crossroads between worlds. From here, you can go to my world and any other world you want."

"Wait," He was beginning to piece the picture together. "You mean, you're not from my world?" It was strange just to say it.

"No, I'm not. None of the Epitaph Users are." She replied, keeping her eyes ahead of her. "And before you ask, an Epitaph User is someone with an Epitaph, like us."

They reached the landing of the staircase. He noticed that the landing was round, and at the foot of the staircase was a red symbol. It almost looked like a red gear. He looked around the landing a bit more. There were seven other symbols around the landing, all different colors. In the center there was a large golden insignia. From the other symbols extended other staircases. Everything else was blackness.

Atoli walked to the edge of the golden insignia. She turned around and beckoned him to come. He walked to the edge of the insignia and stood next to Atoli. She seemed uneasy, but she took out her mirror. Turning to him, she pointed at the symbol on the floor.

"This symbol is important for you to remember. It's the symbol of Morganna." She said quietly.

"Morganna…?" The name sounded familiar, like his title had, but he just couldn't remember from where.

"She is the goddess that created this place." Atoli then held up the mirror to her lips and spoke that word again.

"_Chigusa…"_

The insignia glowed, then disappeared. In its place was a winding set of spiral stairs going downward. Atoli proceeded downward. Ryou followed. She spoke while they descended.

"Before you can go to other worlds, we need to know your name." She said calmly.

"But my name is-"

She cut him off with a smile and a wave of her hand. "Not that name. Your _real_ name. It's the name you have to go by on other worlds. Don't ever tell anyone on another world your real name, not even Epitaph Users. Especially not Epitaph Users. They can use it against you if they know how."

"But what if they learn it by meeting me in my own world?"

"…"

"Atoli…?" He looked into her eyes. They seemed blank, but then he realized she was talking to her Avatar.

"… My Avatar says that even if they find it out there, then they can't use it against you unless you're in another world."

"So, wait. Atoli isn't your real name?"

"No."

They had reached the bottom of the stairs, and it had come out to a beautiful spring. The water glowed golden, and a depression in the front revealed nine perfectly round jewels. A large gold jewel in the middle, with jewels of other colors around it. Atoli turned to him.

"We also have to learn your Epitaph's name, as well."

"My Epitaph has a name?" He asked, feeling stupid.

"Yes. Don't feel bad, though. A veil has been placed over both of your memories. Your Avatar doesn't even know his own name. You can't blame yourself." She patted him on the shoulder and smiled understandingly. "Just follow your heart. It'll tell you what to do."

"_My heart…?"_ He thought to himself. He figured it wouldn't hurt to try, but he just wasn't sure what to do. He turned to the spring, and closed his eyes; he listened to his heart drumming out his life's rhythm evenly in his chest. He felt a warm feeling in his right hand and also in his pocket. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the black mirror and held it to his heart. He could feel his Avatar's power flowing through him, and could almost feel their consciousness's overlapping, synchronizing. He understood what his Epitaph had meant by them both being the Terror of Death. They were the Terror of Death when the were _**one**_.

They were completely in tune with one another. They had become the Terror of Death. They moved toward the spring and stood directly in front of the indentation. They lifted the mirror over the jewels, and silently spoke words that neither of them understood. Their body glowed deep red, and they opened their eyes to see that the top jewel in the circle was glowing. It was a deep red ruby, perfectly round. The water began to glow bright red, the color of blood.

The water lifted out of the spring. It was more the color of blood than water, but it swirled before their eyes like a whirlpool. It was almost hypnotizing. Very unexpectedly, most of the water dropped back into the spring and became clear again with the hint of gold. But hovering above them was what seemed like a mirror made of red water. They looked into the top mirror, and saw three symbols reflecting into their eyes.

ハセヲ

Haseo

It seemed to ring a bell in his mind. There was something familiar about that name. They looked into the bottom mirror, and saw four more symbols.

スケイス

"_Skeith."_ His Avatar corrected.

Ryou, Haseo, Skeith.

Together, the Terror of Death.

Ryou could feel their synchronization lessening. He could feel himself returning to his senses. His Avatar was retreating back into the depths of his mind, content to have remembered his name. He put the mirror back in his pocket, and turned to Atoli, who looked a little shaken. She did her best to compose herself, and then walked over to him. She looked at the spring, and then at Ryou.

"So, what did the symbols say?" She asked.

"Wait, you mean, you couldn't see them?" He looked at her quizzically.

She shook her head. "Only you can see the symbols. So what did they say?"

He turned back to the spring. "The top mirror said "Haseo"."

Atoli nodded her head. "That's your name. The one you use on other worlds."

"The bottom one said "Sukeisu", but my Avatar said "Skeith"."

"Your Epitaph most likely remembered his name after seeing the symbols." She smiled. "From now on, if you're not in your world, your name is Haseo." She paused for a few seconds. "I like it. It's a good name." She blushed a little.

"_Haseo…"_ He thought to himself, trying the name out. It seemed to flow smoothly, and Atoli was right. It was a good name.

"Now that we know your name," Atoli said excitedly, "We can go to other worlds!"

"Yay." He said unenthusiastically.

"So… Haseo…?" She looked at him sweetly. "Do you… want to see my world?"

He looked at her quizzically. "What kind of a question is that?"

She immediately looked down at the floor, saddened. But he wasn't done.

"I'd love to see your world."

She looked up, shocked. "R-really? Really, Haseo? You aren't joking with me?"

He walked over to the staircase. "Of course not. Who would pass up an opportunity to see another world? Let's go."

She nodded and walked over to his side. They walked up the staircase together, talking casually, Atoli explaining to Haseo as best she could about her world, and Haseo trying to understand as best he could about her world. By the time the two reached the landing, Haseo was totally screwed up. They stood together on the landing and watched the insignia of Morganna reappear.

"I'm lost. I've got no idea what you're talking about." He admitted, scratching his neck. She laughed softly.

"You'll understand when we get there. I'm sure of it." She turned to another staircase, with a turquoise circle at its foot. "This is my staircase. Once we reach the top, we'll be in my world, obviously." She began to climb the stairs. Haseo followed her quickly, trying to catch up. The staircase was long, but Haseo surprisingly didn't get tired. They eventually reached the door, and bright light was pouring through it, nearly blinding Haseo. He cringed, and Atoli noticed it.

"Are you okay, Haseo?" She asked, turning to him and putting her hand on his shoulder, looking genuinely concerned.

He shook his head. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's the light, though."

"Are you really sensitive to light…?" She asked, worried.

"Try photophobic." He responded bluntly. "I'll be okay, Atoli." He straightened up and walked through the door, almost blinded by the light in his eyes.

When the light faded, he found himself in a tent. It was made of what appeared to be brown animal skins. There were minimal furnishings, two cots made of wood, a wooden hope chest, and there were blankets everywhere, mostly made of animal skins. There was sunlight coming from an opening that he assumed was the door. He looked around behind him, and saw Atoli coming through the door after him. After she had entered the doorway, though, the light faded, leaving no trace that a doorway had ever been there. She took a few steps forward, took a deep breath, and let it out in a long sigh.

"It's good to be home…" She said contentedly. She then turned to Haseo. "This is my world. Or, more specifically, my house."

"It's nice." Haseo said, looking around. She motioned for him to follow her. Atoli led him outside, where the sunlight nearly blinded him. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust, and once he did, he found himself looking at a large settlement, with dozens of tents similar to Atoli's. There were children running around, playing happily with each other. Adults were busily attending to chores. In the center of the settlement, there was a large well, where a few children were playing and a few adults were drawing water. He looked around, taking in the sights and sounds. Atoli turned to him and smiled.

"Welcome, Haseo, to the bustling village of Morag Don, my hometown!" She said happily. "So, what do you think?"

Haseo didn't know what to say. It was definitely different from his world. Although, it did seem to have a more homely feel to it. "Well, it's definitely different from my world." He paused, and took a deep breath. "But, I like it. It's nice here."

Atoli's eyes lit up. She was about to open her mouth to say something, but was cut off by someone shouting.

"Chigusa!!!"

Atoli whipped around. Haseo looked to where she was looking, but Atoli immediately took off running. She ran into a young blonde girl and tackle-hugged her.

"Shino!!!" Atoli yelled happily.

Haseo walked over to her, utterly confused. "Chigusa…? Is that your real name, Atoli?"

Atoli released the blonde girl and turned back to him. "Yes, my name is really Chigusa." She looked at the ground, apparently embarrassed. She lifted her eyes and smiled. "By the way, I'd like you to meet someone!" She turned to the blonde girl behind her. It wasn't until then that Haseo realized that she looked almost exactly like Chigusa.

"Haseo, I'd like you to meet my sister, Shino."

Shino smiled.

"It's very nice to meet you, Haseo."

* * *

Yay! I'm so glad the Katakana showed up. -

And thanks to GyppyGirl2021 for getting me to correct the katakana. For a while it was オ, when it was supposed to be ヲ. I blame Google Translate for not recognizing katakana ヲ as an actual symbol. D=

Please review! Please! I need reviews to keep going! They make me feel loved and motivated to keep writing. SO PLEASE?!?

Also if you have any ideas, feel free to review with them or PM me with your suggestions! (no spam or I will cut your head off )


	3. A Diminuendo of Deceit

For those of you who are wondering how in the world I got this chapter up so fast...

... I TYPED FOR TWELVE HOURS STRAIGHT. IT WAS AMAZING. I felt compelled to get this chapter done as soon as possible, but by the time I was done, it was 11:00 PM and my dad was screaming at me to go to bed, so I let it sit overnight and edited it this morning, which was a good thing, because it needed editing. I think it turned out okay, my friend that I send the chapters to for a second opinion (who is completely clueless as far as G.U. is concerned...) thought it turned out well _before_ the editing, so I made some minor changes and here's the result.

**_WHAT?!? HASEOXSHINO IN A HASEOXATOLI STORY?!? WHAT IS THE AUTHOR THINKING?!?_**

Yes, there is HaseoXShino in this story, but... I couldn't put it in the description because I ran out of characters! So, I'm warning you all now, THERE WILL BE HASEOXSHINO IN THIS STORY. There. I've given you fair warning.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own .hack. If I owned .hack, I wouldn't be reduced to writing weird AU fanfictions like this, now would I? I do own the AUness, so NO STEALY!!!

R&R, Please! And above all, enjoy!

* * *

Really fast suggestion!: Open up Bluelaguna and go to the media archives for .hack. Go to the G.U. OST 2, and stream a song called "Underworld Eldy Rue" while you read the introduction. It was the song I listened to while I wrote it. It really adds new depth to the words.

* * *

Atoli stood in front of the Spring of Morganna, looking at her reflection in the golden water. Her eyes seemed dimmer in the mirror image, but perhaps it was just the sadness she was feeling that was making her eyes so bleak. She touched the mirror in her pocket, and Innis' power washed over her, reassuring her that everything was alright. She looked in the liquid mirror, praying with all her heart that she could bring herself to believe her Avatar's words.

Footsteps approached her from the stairs. She didn't bother to turn to see him approach, she knew it was him. His footsteps stopped a few feet behind her, and she sighed. She had been dreading this for the longest time. Hoping, praying, that he might have forgotten about the meeting. But he was ever the punctual one; he never forgot anything. Atoli held her breath, hoping he wouldn't punish her too severely.

"I had expected more from you, Atoli."

She closed her eyes, fighting back tears.

"You understood the plan, correct?"

"Yes." She replied weakly, fighting to keep her voice steady. "I was to contact you as soon as I had found the Terror of Death."

"But here we are, two weeks later. I received your message yesterday that you had found him, when your sister very kindly informed me of his presence in your world two weeks ago." His voice remained steady and even, not showing the slightest hint of anger, which was the true torture. If he was straightforward and angry with her, she could openly break down.

She battled back more tears, hearing that it was indeed her sister who had told him. _"Shino… Why…? You knew he would do this to me…"_

"Fourteen days, Atoli. Fourteen days that was lost. Fourteen days that was lost because of your affection, and now we are behind fourteen days. You realize if we do not acquire him during the transition phase, his independence is almost assured? Do you want that?"

She choked down more tears, and replied as evenly as she could, "N-no… Of c-course not…"

There was silence for a moment, but then he continued. "If you are so sure of your commitment to our mission, then why did you withhold the information for so long?"

She breathed in unsteadily, and chose her words carefully. "I… I was trying to gain his trust more fully. To… make it easier in the long run."

The silence hung over her head like a guillotine. She closed her eyes, praying for his wrath to be deflected. Unfortunately, he wasn't so easily thrown off.

"Atoli, you may be the Mirage of Deceit, but you cannot hide the truth from me. You are fully aware that there _is_ no long run. It is now or never. I would prefer now, and I know that you would too. If we leave the Terror of Death for too long, it will be too late. Do you understand?"

She shivered, but not from the cold. "Yes…"

"You understand what it is you must do?"

"…"

"Atoli? _Do you understand?_"

"Yes."

"Good." Footsteps echoed through the chamber, but Atoli wasn't finished.

"Please wait." She said with as much strength as she could.

The footsteps stopped.

"Yes, Atoli?" There was a hint of impatience in his voice.

"I have a question."

"It is possible that I might have an answer."

"What is my sister's role in this?" Atoli asked urgently. She knew her sister played some part in everything, but she couldn't tell. "I know that you have some relationship with her, but what have you told her?"

There was a pause. "Concern yourself not with Shino's role. It will only distract you away from yours."

"But-"

There were rapid footsteps, like someone running. She turned around just in time to see his hulking shadow looming ominously above her before he gripped her shoulder tightly and whispered; "_Chigusa Kusaka_".

Atoli's eyes grew wide. _"How does he…! I never…!"_

Atoli's thoughts were cut off by a powerful shock that seemed to flow down through her veins, spreading through her body and robbing her of motion. She screamed, but the paralysis quickly cut her off, leaving her to dangle helplessly from his vice-like grip on her shoulder. He pulled her upright and looked her in the eye.

"Suffer long, Atoli. Disobedience is not acceptable."

He released his grip, letting her tumble to the ground, helpless and unable to move. She knew that the paralysis was only temporary, but it would be an agonizing to be left alone for so long, without even her Avatar to comfort her.

"It would seem you have forgotten whom you serve."

As his footsteps faded away, Atoli desperately wished she could cry.

* * *

Chapter three: A Diminuendo of Deception

* * *

Haseo had never been happier. It had been two weeks since he had set foot in Chigusa's world, and he loved it. Everyone seemed so accepting. He hadn't received any strange stares, rude comments, or anything about his appearance in the fourteen days he had been around the people of Morag Don. Skeith seemed content as well, and Chigusa had been teaching them more about the ways of the worlds. 

By then, he was used to being called Haseo. It was almost like Ryou was just another person, left back in the recesses of his memory. Skeith had made sure to call him Haseo, and Chigusa never slipped up, so it made it a lot easier for him to adjust to his new name. Chigusa had been such a great friend, helping him with all of the things he didn't understand.

He had also become much better acquainted with Skeith. Chigusa had taught them to better channel their power, and the two had come to know each other much better. Haseo knew that he could trust Skeith with his life, and many times Haseo would stay up for half the night talking to Skeith about some issue or another. They oftentimes wondered what the veil on their memories was covering; what knowledge was hiding away from them. Both of them shared the conviction that they would fill in the blanks eventually.

But even better, there was Shino.

Shino seemed so understanding. Chigusa had told her twin sister everything. The different worlds, Avatars, everything. Shino could understand his confusion and comfort him in a way nobody else could. Her smile always seemed so warm and pleasant. She had expressly gone out of her way to make Haseo feel welcome and comfortable in their world. It seemed to Haseo that Shino was special. He could talk to her more openly than he had ever talked to anyone.

He wished he could stay here forever.

Chigusa had earlier asked him to go and retrieve water from a well in the woods. He had been there once before with her, so he knew where to go. He wove his way through the trees, and eventually came upon the clearing. The well was there, almost the exact same structure as the one in town. Chigusa had said that it had "The sweetest water you'll ever taste", and it was true. The only difference between then and now was that Shino sat on the edge of the well, as if expecting him to come. When she saw him approach, she smiled her kind, warm smile.

"Hello, Haseo." She said sweetly.

"What are you doing here, Shino?" Haseo asked, confused as to why she was sitting on the well.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you, and Chigusa said that she had sent you to get water, so…" She looked away and blushed a little. Haseo walked to the edge of the well and hooked the bucket to the rope, then let it down slowly into the water. It was a deep well, so he had to crank the lever for a while. He continued the conversation while he cranked.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked, not sure what there was to talk to her about.

Shino smiled. "Well… I wanted you to tell me about your world. Would you mind?"

Haseo looked at her. Her eyes always seemed to come alive at the mention of other worlds. He looked back down into the well to avoid her gaze, and noticed that he couldn't see the bucket anymore.

"Well, I don't know what there is to tell about my world, but… I guess you could say that it's more… advanced than this world."

"Advanced?" Shino asked, tilting her head in confusion. Haseo tried to avoid looking at her out of embarrassment.

"We have better technology. Like, take the well for example. In my world, we have something called a faucet that gets water _for_ you, so you don't have to get it from a well."

Her eyes lit up. "Wow! That sounds amazing!"

There was a splash, and he knew the bucket had hit the water. He let it sit for a minute, and sat on the edge of the well next to Shino, trying his best to explain to her about his world. She sat with her eyes aglow, listening intently, drinking in every word that left Haseo's mouth. After a few minutes, Haseo stood back up and began to crank the bucket back up from the well. He almost had the bucket in his hands, when Shino interrupted him with a question.

"Um… Haseo…?" She looked a bit uneasy.

"What is it?" By now he had the bucket in his hand and was working it free of the rope.

"What's your opinion of Chigusa?"

He nearly dropped the bucket.

Where had _that_ come from?

"W-what do you mean?" He set the bucket on the ground next to the well and sat down again.

"Well, what do you think of her?" She said, clearly embarrassed.

"Uh… well, I… I guess… she's nice?" He stammered out, feeling like an idiot.

"More than that." Shino elaborated.

"Well, I guess she's a good person, a really good friend, and she seems nice enough…" He wasn't sure how to be specific about it.

"I see." Was her response. There was a moment of silence, then Shino took a deep breath, as if steeling herself for what she was about to say.

"Haseo?" She turned and looked him straight in the eye. "What do you think of me?"

Haseo could feel his face burning bright red. He wasn't sure if he had ever been asked a more awkward question.

"Well…?" She looked at him intently.

He didn't know how to answer her. He wasn't sure anyone would know how to answer a question like that. He frantically searched his mind, trying to fit words into sentences that made sense.

"Be honest with me, Haseo. I can tell if you lie."

"Well…" He didn't really know what to say, so he just let his words flow, praying they came out alright. "I… I think that…" His words were getting caught in his throat, like something big and hard was blocking them. "… You're really kind, Shino."

She looked him straight in the eye, and he fidgeted nervously. He tried to look away from her, but her eyes held his gaze. They were so green, he noticed, and they almost looked like emeralds. He could almost feel them boring into his mind. The intensity of her gaze seemed to make his mind go numb. After a few seconds, though, he was able to break away from her gaze, and sighed.

He finally found his voice. "You... kind of remind me of my mother who passed away. She was always so patient, willing to forgive the little mistakes, and she never judged me for how I looked. You just seem like you don't care what I look like on the outside."

They sat in silence for a bit, with Haseo fighting desperately to keep from fidgeting. He closed his eyes, hoping he hadn't offended her. His suspicions were proved wrong, however, when he felt her arms wrap around his shoulders, and she spoke softly in his ear.

"I'm glad you think so," She said sweetly.

His face burned bright red again as he felt her lips on his cheek. He had no idea how to react. Feelings rushed through his body like adrenaline, and he found himself unable to move or resist. It was all so _sudden_, he really had no idea what to do. She pulled away slightly, and rested her head on his shoulder. He rested his head on hers; he felt it was what he should do. They stayed mostly silent for several minutes, but Haseo broke away by saying he needed to get the water back to the village. Shino released him, and seemed somewhat saddened.

He smiled at her, and walked back towards the trees where he had come what seemed like so long ago. Walking alone through the forest, however, seemed strangely empty. Maybe it was just not having Shino there to talk to, or maybe he was just overanalyzing. Maybe he was just still recovering from the shock of having a girl kiss him. In his world, that would have _never_ happened. He touched his face and remembered her touch. But Shino… He didn't know what to think anymore.

"_Do I love Shino?"_ He thought, trying to think of what it meant to love. _"But then, what about Chigusa? What about her? Why is everything happening so fast? What is love? Why can't I figure out how I feel?"_

He was so confused, mostly by the emptiness he felt. He also felt angry and lost. All of these powerful emotions; they seemed so foreign. Part of him wanted to run back to her and throw his arms around her, but another part of him was screaming at him that he was being used, and another part of him wanted to curl up into a ball and hide away, get away from all of these confusing emotions. And then there was, of course, the dark part of him in the back of his mind, hiding away, waiting for him to touch the little black mirror in his pocket.

He hadn't considered it before. Should he ask Skeith what he thought? Or would his Avatar just laugh at him and call him an idiot? He had noticed that his Epitaph was prone to get very moody and sarcastic whenever their discussions didn't refer to 'power'. But he was so confused, he needed another opinion. Against his better judgment, he reached into his pocket and clasped the mirror firmly.

"_Well, well. You seem to be enjoying yourself."_ Skeith drawled sarcastically.

"_I need answers."_ He thought bluntly. _"Just who is Shino?"_

There was a pause before Skeith spoke again.

"_I'm… not sure. But whatever or whoever she is, she's connected to the Mirage of Deceit."_

"_Connected?"_

Skeith seemed hesitant to continue, but did so anyway. _"… I can sense some of the Mirage of Deceit's power from her. I don't think she even realizes it when she's using her power."_

"_What do you mean, 'when she's using her power'?"_ Haseo was lost.

"…"

"_Skeith?"_

"… _Haseo… Back there, she was using her power. She was using it to influence you. That's why you feel so confused. I could tell that she was using it, but couldn't warn you. I'm… sorry."_

Haseo was taken aback. Not just by the information, but by Skeith's apology. They had only known each other for two weeks, but Haseo could tell that Skeith wasn't the type to apologize. He shook his head.

"_It's not your fault, Skeith."_ He tried to assure him. _"What do you mean by influence?"_

There was another pause as Skeith seemed to be choosing his words. _"Haseo, you know that there are many forms of deception, right?"_

Haseo thought about it._ "I guess…"_

"_I can't be sure, but I get the feeling she's trying to deceive you. Seduction is a method of deception. She's trying to trap you in your own emotions, whether she realizes it or not. Haseo… Be careful. I get the feeling that there is something much bigger going on here. Something that we can't remember."_

Chills ran down his spine at the mention of the word "seduction". _"What do you mean, trap me in my emotions?"_ He was even more confused.

"… _Your emotions are a powerful thing, Haseo. They are the driving force for our power. If she can trap you in them, there won't be any escape."_

"_O… Kay…"_ He wasn't liking where the conversation was going. He rested himself next to a tree, and continued. _"What do you want me to do?"_ He asked, hoping for some straightforward instructions.

"_Think. Why do you think she's been so kind to you over the past two weeks?"_

"_What?"_ Skeith wasn't making much sense at all.

"_Clearly she knows your weakness."_

Haseo was completely lost. _"My… Weakness…?"_

"_You cling to kindness. You've been deprived of it for so long, you easily become attached to those who are compassionate and caring."_

Haseo was silent. He couldn't deny it; it was the truth and he knew it.

"_But think; how could she know your weakness after only fourteen days? It could be more of the Mirage of Deceit's power…"_

He let it roll through his head. It was possible.

"… _Or someone is behind this pulling the strings."_

It was a scary prospect. Unfortunately, it was a probable scary prospect.

* * *

Shino sat silently at the well. She was pleased. He had been right about her power. It was strong, too. Far stronger than they had anticipated. She thought back to how simple it had been to manipulate Haseo. With even the most basic application of her power, he molded easily in her hands. He had been absolutely right. 

Haseo's greatest weakness was his emotions.

Put bluntly, he was a slave to them. He had tried to push them away for so long, because he felt he couldn't trust anyone enough to actually open up. But when he actually felt safe enough to allow his emotions breathing room, they ran away with him because he was too inexperienced at controlling them. But now that she had some ground in his feelings, she could easily work from there.

His plan would be simple to achieve.

So absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't hear him approach her from behind. When Shino realized that she wasn't alone, he was already sitting next to her. She looked at him with hooded eyes.

"I take it everything went according to plan?" He asked, withholding all emotion.

"Yes." She replied, closing her eyes and waiting.

"Excellent." He praised, letting slip a trace of pleasure. "Truly excellent."

His words of congradulations were like music to her ears.

"If I may say so," Shino said confidently, "we may have underestimated Haseo's emotional weakness."

He lifted an eyebrow. She continued.

"He was like clay in my hands," She spoke quietly, flexing her fingers. "Manipulation was simple, even with the smallest amount of power I could exercise. If Chigusa could be trusted to use her power the way she needs to, he would easily be ours."

He smiled. "But, unfortunately, your sister is not the most… complying person, is she?"

Shino shook her head. "I assume her punishment was sufficient?" She inquired.

"She will know her place." Was his cryptic reply.

"Her compliance is essential if the plan is to succeed, am I right?" Shino asked.

"Of course. But what she doesn't know is that her greatest failure will be our greatest success." He answered, betraying some anticipation. "You know your place when your alliances shift?"

"Of course. Chigusa may devote herself to him whole-heartedly, but I will remember our mission."

"Wonderful. Your power may be second to your sister…"

She took no offense to that statement. It was the truth, and Shino knew it and accepted it.

"… But your loyalty is second to none."

She smiled. His, her master's, praise was possibly the greatest gift he could give her. Even if her loyalty to him was only through Chigusa, she did her best to ensure that she was more dependable than her sister. She knew that if the plan succeeded, she would have to leave him, but she would always stay loyal to him.

"And that loyalty," Shino said confidently, "will always reside with you, Ovan."

* * *

And the plot thickens! Heeheehee... 

To everyone who has reviewed my story, thank you!!! It really boosts my confidence to know I have your support. And for those of you who are thinking right now that you'll review it later, REVIEW NOW. I need your support! So, please, please, please, please, please, please review!

Again, if you have any ideas, put them in your review or PM me with your suggestions! I'm totally open to suggestions! (as long as they're not cracktastic...)


	4. A Crescendo of Chaos

Sorry for the REALLY late update, but I was having trouble editing this chapter. Combined with SakuraCon, a generally crappy school quarter, and restricted computer access, I was at my writing limits. That, and the chapter seemed too rushed to me. Of course, I'm the author, so I have to be critical of everything that I write.

So, the last chapter seemed a little dry to me, so I made sure to put lots of stuff in this chapter! And next chapter...

EPIC FIGHT SCENE!! (Ooh, spoilers! XD)

So, enjoy! R&R, brb, lol, you know, all of that jazz.

DISCLAIMER!! I, Mira Misaki, do not own .hack. If I did, Haseo would have been glomped to death by now, and this wouldn't be a fanfiction, ne?

* * *

42-83-5

_42-83-5_

_My Beloved Diary,_

_Today marks the three week point of Haseo's stay in this world. He seems content enough. Though I have noticed that he seems a little restless. Maybe we should go for a jog! Haseo, Shino, and I. All out running. That would be fun! I should ask them later._

_I've started to notice that Haseo's gotten a lot closer to Shino. It might just be me, but it seems like they're always together, talking or laughing about something. Shino's gotten a lot friendlier with him, too. I've noticed that she doesn't really hold herself back when she's around him. Haseo does seem more relaxed, though. It's almost disgusting how close they are. I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I eavesdropped on a few of their conversations. They talk so openly; it's enough to make me sick! I have to wonder just how Shino and Haseo got so close after just three weeks._

_On a more depressing note, Master wants me to carry out his orders. I'm a little nervous; I don't want to hurt Haseo, but I don't want to be punished again. I guess I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. But… I really don't want to be left alone like that again… It was so terrifying. It was only about fifteen minutes or so, but I was so lonely; I didn't even have Innis to talk to. But Haseo… I don't want to hurt him. He's… too special for that. Master would kill me if he found out I feel like this._

_Haseo… I don't really know how I feel about him. He seems so… innocent. It's almost comical how awkward he is around girls. But… Whenever I'm around him, it seems like he's always just barely out of reach. I wish there was some way to bridge that gap, but it doesn't seem that way. I've tried to talk to Innis about my feelings, but no matter how much I talk to her it never seems like I can straighten out my thoughts. I want to make sense of this, but no matter how hard I try, I can't put my feelings into words. Maybe that's what it's like to love._

_Maybe I'm just overanalyzing. Or maybe I love Haseo._

_I can't be sure._

_With lots of love,_

_Atoli, The Mirage of Deceit_

* * *

Chapter Four: A Crescendo of Chaos

* * *

Haseo opened the tent flap, shielding his hypersensitive eyes from the blinding morning light. Stepping out into the square, he looked around as his eyes grew used to the terrible heavenly glare. The sky always seemed so blue, the trees in the forest so green. The colors of Chigusa's world always seemed more vibrant, full of life. The people bustling around, attending to their daily chores, the children laughing and playing, they all seemed to have a more homely feel to them. They seemed to be one big family; everyone knew everyone and everyone was happy.

He had gotten to know some of the other people in Morag Don, mostly some of the older residents. They all seemed so kind and accepting; not even one person had commented on how he looked, unless it was a positive comment. He almost felt like he belonged here, much more so than he had in his own world. It all seemed so perfect.

"Haseo!"

He looked around, and saw the source of the voice. Shino was standing at the well, waving at him enthusiastically. He smiled, waved back, and jogged over to her. When he reached the well, Shino pulled him into a tight hug. Blushing, he returned it, pulling away after a few seconds. Pushing some of the white strands of hair out of his eyes, he spoke cheerfully, wishing her a good morning.

"Did you sleep well last night, Haseo?" She asked, tilting her head and smiling.

"I had a bad dream." The albino responded, scratching the back of his neck before stretching.

"Really?" Shino's eyes lit up with concern. "What was it about?"

"Um… It's kind of… personal…" Haseo looked away, still slightly shaken by the memory of it.

"I understand completely. We all have things we want to keep to ourselves." She smiled kindly. "So what are you going to do today? Any plans?"

"Well, I was kind of thinking of going for a walk." He replied, relaxing at the thought of not being pressed to share the dream. "Just kind of walking out in the woods. I've been feeling like I need some time to myself." Shino laughed sweetly, and Haseo then noticed that she was carrying a towel and a rough brown animal skin robe.

"That's good. You could use a nice walk." Shino held up the towel. "Chigusa and I are going to go wash in the river, so you can't come with us anyway!" She giggled, and then turned back towards the tent. "Come to think of it, Chigusa sure is taking her sweet time. She needs to get out here so we can go." She jogged a few feet in front of Haseo and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Chigusa! Hurry up!"

"Just give me a minute!" Haseo faintly heard Chigusa scream back. "I'm almost done!"

"Ugh!" Shino tapped her foot in mock impatience, and Haseo laughed.

After a few minutes, Chigusa came barreling out of the tent, carrying a towel and robe similar to Shino's. She stopped in front of the well, rested her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths before straightening up again. Both Haseo and Shino laughed, and Chigusa burned bright red.

"You're so _slow_, Chigusa! Slugs move faster than you do!" Shino scolded, a huge grin plastered to her face.

"Well, I'm _sorry_, Miss Supreme Ruler over All," Chigusa retorted, putting her hands on her hips, "But writing in a journal takes time! Maybe if you had the attention span to actually _keep_ one, you'd understand!" The three burst out laughing, and after a few seconds, they all straightened up, dismissing the last few chuckles.

"So, Haseo," Chigusa said, looking him in the eye. "What are you going to do today?"

"I'm thinking of taking a walk." He responded, shrugging.

"That would be good; you've seemed kind of restless lately. Shino and I are going to go wash in the river, but she probably already told you that." Chigusa smiled.

"Yeah, she said that." Haseo folded his arms.

"Well, have fun on your walk, I guess!" Chigusa grinned. "Unless you'd rather come with us…?"

Haseo could almost immediately feel his cheeks burning bright red. Shino broke out into a fit of giggles. He caught himself just in time before he started to imagine a scene like that.

"N-no! Of course not! I-I mean, what I mean is…" He spluttered helplessly, causing both Shino _and_ Chigusa to break into uncontrollable giggle fits. "Stop it, you guys! It's not funny!" Which served to only make them laugh harder. Haseo looked down at the ground, his cheeks an almost unnaturally bright shade of red. Shino managed to control herself long enough to grab on to his arm and try to reassure him.

"Haseo, we're only joking. Of course we know that you would never do something like that. It's just way too much fun to tease you!" She smiled sweetly, which only made Haseo feel worse. "Oh, come on…" She looked up at him with an adorable pouting face. "We were only kidding!" She smiled, and Chigusa grabbed his other arm.

"Lighten up, Haseo! It's no good to try and take a walk while you're grumpy!" Chigusa giggled, and Haseo pouted, just to spite them. In response, they both pinched his cheeks and gave him a hug. Haseo noticed Chigusa held on just a little bit tighter and a little bit longer than Shino did.

_"Maybe I'm just being paranoid."_ He thought.

_"Or maybe, you've got a secret admirer!"_

Angrily, he noticed he had been touching the mirror.

_"Shut up." _He would have liked to say plenty of other things to his Avatar, but he refrained.

_"I love you too."_ Skeith replied, getting into the light-hearted spirit of the conversation.

Moodily, he took his hand out of his pocket and returned his attention to the two twins in front of him, who were having a lighthearted argument about soap. Haseo, not wanting to get teased anymore, interrupted them.

"Sorry to intrude on your heated debate," He interjected, "But I'm going to head off. I'll see you two later, okay?"

They both smiled and nodded, and Haseo once again noticed how frighteningly similar they were. Turning away from the twins, he walked towards the gap between two tents that was commonly used as an exit from the village into the forest. Waving to the residents of one of the tents, who was busily hanging out their laundry, he walked out into the dense tree line.

He wasn't sure where he was going to go, but it didn't really matter. Weaving his way through the trees, he was struck with the bittersweet memory of that day three weeks ago, walking though the woods in his world; the day he met Atoli. The day his life changed. He tried to remember the emotions that had forced themselves upon him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall the exact feeling. It didn't seem possible to recreate such powerful emotions.

Wandering aimlessly through the woods, he watched the morning sunlight shining through the trees. Pausing and leaning against a tree, he reached in his pocket and pulled out the mirror. The familiar rush of warmth flowed through his body, suffusing him with the most wonderful feeling. He held the mirror tightly and continued his aimless journey. Skeith waited for Haseo to gather his thoughts patiently. After several minutes of silence, however, the Avatar spoke up, not patient enough to be kept waiting.

_"So… Anything interesting last night?"_ Skeith asked, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. Ever since Haseo had told Skeith about a dream he had had, he had become overly obsessed with the concept. Every day, Skeith had asked Haseo what his dreams had been. Haseo would try, to the best of his ability, to recall the dreams he had had the previous night, but most of the time it was all just blurred images.

Haseo was worried, though. Last night's escape into his subconscious was anything but interesting. Being more precise, it had been terrifying. He hadn't explained to his Avatar about nightmares, the terrible dreams that wracked the subconscious mind mercilessly, leaving the victim unable to escape. He wasn't sure he should tell Skeith about them, anything that had to do with pain of any kind always got his Epitaph interested, he had noticed. Resigning himself to the fact that he would have to tell Skeith anyway, he sighed and proceeded to explain what a nightmare entailed.

_"Interesting isn't really the right word. Try horrifying."_ He responded tiredly.

_"What do you mean, horrifying…?" _Skeith sounded genuinely concerned. He knew Haseo's mental state wasn't that great in the first place, and was always unnecessarily angry when Haseo was hurt.

_"… I had a nightmare." _He said blankly.

_"… Night… mare…?" _The Epitaph's confusion washed over him like a wave, and Haseo had to remind himself that he had brought this upon himself.

_"Take the most terrifying combination of images that you can think of and multiply that times a thousand. Play it over and over again in your mind while you're asleep and helpless. That's what a nightmare is." _The albino ran his free hand through his hair, not sure that his explanation was all that great.

There was a pause as the Avatar ran the new concept though his mind. It seemed so… foreign. Being tortured while you sleep? Sleep was supposed to be a safe haven, Skeith recalled. Who would have thought there were enemies that stalked you even in that sanctuary? The thought sparked something in the back of his memory. Something that seemed significant. He tried to shrug it off, but the feeling persisted.

_"So what happened in the nightmare?" _Skeith asked, exhibiting his uncanny curiosity.

_"I don't really want to talk about it." _Haseo replied, in an attempt to dodge the subject. But unfortunately for him, his Avatar was persistent, and pressed him further.

_"Tell me! I want to know! We grow by being open with each other, remember? Tell me about this nightmare!"_

_"I said __**no**_."

_"You know…I could just force myself into your mind and find out for myself… Which would be much more fun for me than it would be for you, you know…" _The sadism in his voice was so strong Haseo could almost taste it. The tone of his Avatar's voice sent chills down his spine, but he was adamant. He didn't want to have to recall the horrible memory of the dream.

"_For the last time, no!"_

"_Heh, you're asking for it…"_ Haseo instantly regretted his decision. Pain began to shoot up his arm, coming directly from the mirror that he was touching. It shot like fiery needles up his arm, traveling up through his neck and caused him to fall over cringing. He tried to take his fingers off of the mirror, but an unseen force held them there. The pain flooded his mind, digging like needles into his conscious. He could feel Skeith's physical presence in his mind, clawing his way through Haseo's thoughts and memories for the one he wanted.

He doubled over, and then collapsed sideways, writhing in pain. It took all of his willpower not to scream. Finally his Avatar found what he wanted and pulled it to the forefront of their minds. Haseo tried to battle it back from his mind's eye, but the pain kept him in check; he was forced to watch the nightmare again.

* * *

_The wind blew silently through the trees, skirting the edges of the playground. The sounds of children laughing and playing could be heard in the distance. Gusts whistled through the grassy expanse, rustling the clothes of two little schoolchildren. A lone road wound past the playfield, with one or two cars passing quickly by every few minutes. The little girl faced away from the little boy, who was running his hand through his pale white hair in confusion. The little girl spoke up, trying to keep her voice strong._

"_R… Ryou… I'm so glad I could be your friend. Really, I am."_

_The boy took a step forward._

"_Could be? Why are you using past tense? What's wrong?" Ryou looked at the little girl, his best friend, in utter confusion. The girl broke into tears._

"_So… glad… But…"_

"_What's wrong? Why are you crying? Please tell me what's wrong…Talk to me…"_

"… _I… I can't take this anymore… It's all too much… R-Ryou… Please… Do me a favor…"_

_Ryou was dumbfounded. "A favor? What do you need?"_

_The little girl took a step toward the street. The sound of a car turning the corner could be heard in the distance. She took another step, followed by another, and yet another, and soon she was at the edge of the road. The car was visible by now. She hung her head and sobbed. Ryou took a step toward her._

"_Ryou… I need you to…"_

_The car came out from behind a stand of trees, not twenty feet from them._

"_Ryou… Please… Forgive me!!"_

_The little girl launched herself into the street, standing directly in the path of the oncoming car. Spreading out her arms, she closed her eyes and waited for fate to take her away._

"_CHIKA!!"_

_Two hearts broke in the same instant as blood seeped onto the street, filling the cracks with the last whispers of an innocent life._

* * *

Haseo lay motionless on the ground, not really registering that he had returned to his senses. He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the mirror laying on the ground in front of him, sunlight reflecting off of the dark red ruby inlays. As a reflex, he reached out and grabbed it. The feeling shot up his arm, but it was anything but warm. A cold, empty feeling left the mirror, and he could feel Skeith's presence in the back of his mind. He understood immediately that Skeith regretted his actions.

"_Ha… Haseo…?" _His Avatar called weakly, obviously drained from exerting so much power over his User.

"_I… warned you…" _He responded, just as drained.

"_Do you get nightmares often…?"_

"_Not… really…"_

"_I had no idea images could cause such pain… Haseo, I'm so sorry for what I did… I really shouldn't have… done that…"_

Hearing Skeith apologize was still so strange. He had only given him an apology maybe twice. There wasn't any real reason to, but Haseo assured his Avatar that he was alright.

"_I'll be fine, Skeith. Really."_

There was a pause, and Skeith spoke again.

"_Haseo, why did that seem more like a memory than a dream?"_

He had felt it coming, and didn't want to answer. Without a word, he righted himself, leaning against a tree for support. He was still pretty drained, but he had to stand up. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and faced the question his Epitaph posed.

"_Because it was."_

"_It… was…?"_

"_It happened when I was in third grade. My best friend Chika… committed suicide. She couldn't take the pressure of everyone making fun of her. She threw herself into the street and got hit by a car." _It hurt him to say it, to dig up memories of that far back.

"_I… I don't know what to say… I never knew…"_

"_Let's just drop the subject. I don't want to talk about it."_

"_I understand. I shouldn't have pressed so far. It was my mistake."_

Haseo walked unsteadily forward, continuing his aimless amble through the woods. The sun was high above him now, shafts of bright golden light falling through the cracks in the ceiling of trees. In an attempt to cheer himself up, he tried to avoid walking in the sunlight.

It was entertaining, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't put the image of Chika out of his head. Skeith remained silent, at a loss for words. Not really paying attention, he walked along a long row of bushes. His attention quickly returned, however, when he heard familiar giggling.

"Stop splashing me, Chigusa! You're getting water in my eyes!"

Haseo's face instantly burned bright red. In his stupidity, he had walked right along the river where Shino and Chigusa were. His first instinct was to turn and run; get away from what could become a horribly uncomfortable scene. But as he was about to turn away, he heard Chigusa's voice float over him.

"Shino? I need to ask you something personal."

Haseo moved his feet faster, trying to get away from the spot where they were.

"What is it Chigusa?" Shino's voice responded.

"Well… It's… about Haseo." She sounded nervous and uncomfortable.

He stopped.

_What about me?_

"What about him?" Shino seemed puzzled. Haseo leaned against a tree, straining his ears to hear the conversation.

"Well… It's just that… You guys seem really close. And… well…" Chigusa seemed to be at a loss for words.

"For heaven's sake! Spit it out, Chigusa!" Shino cried, and a small splash accompanied her words. Chigusa squeaked, and Haseo couldn't help but smile. The sound was funny, and classic Chigusa. There was silence, save the sound of the river, and about a minute passed before Chigusa spoke again.

"Shino… What's your role? Master wouldn't tell me."

Haseo felt a burning sensation in his pocket. As quietly as he could, he reached down into his pocket and touched the mirror. Riding the head of the wave of warmth was Skeith's confusion.

"_Role? Master? I feel like I should remember this…"_ Skeith moaned. It was so infuriating to be stuck under the veil, unable to remember anything.

"My role? What do you mean?" Shino asked, poorly attempting to make herself appear innocent. Even Haseo could tell she was lying.

"Don't do that, Shino! I'm the Mirage of Deceit! I can tell when you're lying! What is Master making you do?"

There was silence.

"Shino?"

More silence. Then,

"Chigusa? How do _you_ feel about Haseo?" Shino almost sounded accusing.

"M-Me? Why are you avoiding my question?"

"Just answer me, Chigusa!"

"W-Well… Um… I… I think he's a good friend, and… well…" Chigusa's voice was terribly unsteady.

"Stop beating around the bush, Chigusa. You know what I mean."

There was a pause. Then Chigusa spoke weakly, making Haseo strain his ears even further to hear her words.

"I… I like him a lot…"

"Not that! How do you feel when you're around him? What do you feel like when you talk to him? How do you feel about him?" Haseo had never heard this much impatience in Shino's voice. It seemed so off-beat, like it was a dream. Chigusa was silent for a long time before finally answering.

"I… I feel really happy when I'm around him. Like I can be truly open with him. When I talk to him… I feel safe enough not to lie. Like I can take a break from being the Mirage of Deceit for a while and just be Chigusa. He's like a real friend to me, not like all of the nameless faces here, who chose to be ignorant rather than to progress to what could be a happier society. I… I want to know more about him.

"I want to know everything about him."

There was a long pause. Haseo had to fight to stay silent. So many revelations, so quickly! It was killing him to hide like this, but he couldn't risk moving and being discovered.

"_I had no idea Chigusa felt like that…"_

"_Nor did I."_

With a start, he realized he was still touching the mirror.

"_Usually I can see right through the Mirage of Deceit, but I guess I was wrong."_ Skeith said nonchalantly, but quickly fell silent as Chigusa found her voice again.

"I feel warm inside when I'm around him. I feel feelings that can't be put into words. It's the most amazing sensation. When I'm around him, I just feel so… alive, I guess."

"I see," was Shino's only reply.

"Now answer my question, Shino! What's your role?" Chigusa sounded desperate.

"My role… is only to be Haseo's friend." Shino stated blankly.

"That's… it…?" Chigusa was clearly expecting more, as was Haseo.

"My role is to make him feel happy and loved. That's all." Shino replied firmly.

* * *

Observing from afar was something he did best. It was simple to follow someone and not be noticed. One could say he had a gift for it. Others would say it was a talent. No matter what you called it, it was what he was doing at that moment. Following and observing.

Following and observing the Terror of Death.

It wasn't very hard. He merely followed behind him about fifty feet, taking care to be very quiet. He knew that the Terror of Death's eyesight was his fatal flaw, the one thing about the Epitaph Users that made them imperfect. The Terror of Death's was his hypersensitive eyes. And that, for the moment, was playing to his advantage. The Terror of Death had not noticed him, and he had been able to observe him for a good deal of time.

When the inquisitive Avatar had forced himself into his User's mind, he had been standing by, watching from a distance. He watched as the poor boy writhed in pain at having the almost uncontrollable power of his Avatar's mind forced upon him. The ordeal had only been a few seconds, but he had seen the results, and they had been exactly what he had expected.

He watched as the young Terror of Death collapsed, utterly spent from trying to resist his Avatar's power. He patiently waited, until the results made themselves apparent. Haseo's body began to glow; a faint, blood red aura surrounded him. He saw, with a flicker of excitement, the faint outline that he had been waiting to see.

The faint outline of his true form.

He turned and walked away, pleased with the results.

Their bond had been sealed.

It was time.

* * *

Haseo didn't care where his legs took him. He just wanted to walk far away, where he could be alone with his thoughts. He didn't want to talk to Skeith; the mirror was tucked safely in his pocket. He just wanted to think. He just wanted to be able to sort out his thoughts.

Chigusa loved him.

She hadn't directly said it, but she was inferring it by avoiding it. It was a shock, but then again, it made sense. He remembered earlier that morning when Shino and Chigusa hugged him. She had been just a bit clingier than her sister, but only slightly.

The reality of Chigusa's feelings made him doubt himself. Was he worthy of her love? What made him so special? Why was it him that she loved, and not someone better than him? He wasn't sure that he even knew what love was. How could he expect to return her feelings when he didn't even know what feelings to give her?

Chigusa's words echoed in the back of his mind.

"_I… I feel really happy when I'm around him. Like I can be truly open with him. When I talk to him… I feel safe enough not to lie. Like I can take a break from being the Mirage of Deceit for a while and just be Chigusa. He's like a real friend to me, not like all of the nameless faces here, who chose to be ignorant rather than to progress to what could be a happier society. I… I want to know more about him._

"_I want to know everything about him."_

He looked down at the ground, feeling slightly depressed. He wanted to escape from this confusion. He didn't want to have to deal with all of these confusing emotions. He didn't want to have to be so twisted in knots inside.

He just wanted to be alone.

Haseo looked up briefly to avoid crashing headfirst into a tree, but then sighed, feeling empty. He wished he could put his feelings into words; he wanted to talk to someone about his confusion. He didn't like this feeling of being trapped in a corner. He didn't like feeling vulnerable.

"_I want to know everything about him."_

The image of Chika flashed in his mind's eye. She had been the only other person who ever wanted to know anything about him. He remembered what that had gotten her into. Ridiculed, treated like a freak, not fit to exist, just for reaching out to someone who was lonely and ignored.

He knew that that wouldn't happen here; the people were too accepting. But he didn't want to hurt her by doing something stupid and hurting her feelings.

"_I feel safe enough not to lie."_

The only comfort he took from that statement was the fact that she was honest with him.

His confusion only worsened as he continued to think. It was so hard to understand what was going on around him. It seemed like everyone had their own agenda and he was left out of the loop on purpose. It frustrated him to no end. He was tired of feeling like there was something important for him to do but not knowing what it was. It had been bothering him for the past three weeks.

He wanted answers. And he doubted Chigusa or Shino would give them to him. There was only one thing to do.

Visit another world.

He touched the mirror, and Skeith's presence washed over him. The next ten minutes or so he spent discussing with his Avatar the possibility of visiting other worlds. The more they discussed it, the more excited the two of them got. It seemed so thrilling, the possibility of more worlds being out there to explore; the possibility that there were more people out there like him and Chigusa.

They both agreed. They would tell Chigusa and Shino, and then leave to explore a new world.

Breaking out of the stand of trees, he noticed he had wandered into the clearing with the well. He began to walk over to the well, but stopped as he noticed something strange. The shadow that the well's covering cast seemed much darker than it should have been. He tried to look closer, but when he tried to peer into the darkness of the well, it began to writhe and expand, as if it had a mind of its own. The strange blackness began to grow larger, extending out of the well like some strange beast clawing its way out. It stayed in that position, expanding and contracting, almost as if it were breathing.

Startled, Haseo took a step backward. It looked like it was made of a massive amount of squishy black bubbles. He reached into his pocket and touched the mirror, hoping Skeith would have some idea what the strange creature was. He felt the warmth begin to rush up through his arm.

That was his first mistake.

The strange black creature seemed to shiver when his finger made contact with the mirror's smooth surface. It expanded further still, then seemed to glow. Instantly, Haseo doubled over, having been slammed with a massive wave of uncontrollable rage. It burned inside him, like an alien presence. He screamed, as if screaming would alleviate his overwhelming anger. Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind; Foreign, mysterious, and angry.

_"We are the Shadows of these Worlds; Destroyers, Consumers! We will bury all those who hide in your light in our shadow! Submit! Your mind is weak! Your heart, pathetic! None can be saved by your light! Your light brings only chaos and destruction, death and pain!"_

Another wave hit him, this time releasing a terrible urge to kill and destroy. He wanted to shred something with his bare hands; he wanted to taste blood. He wanted to hear the scream of someone having the life ripped out of them. An awful hatred flared in his heart, digging up old memories of cruelty and neglect.

His whole body shook, and he tried to reach for the mirror, which he had let go of when he had doubled over. Haseo could feel the strange emotions within his mind, fighting for control. It was a strong presence, but he knew if he could keep a level head long enough to reach the mirror, he would be alright. Skeith would help him. The voice resounded through his mind again, adding to the increasing pressure that was strangling his thoughts.

_"Submit! Your heart is weak! You cannot do anything to save anyone! Give up and be consumed by the darkness!"_

A third wave of emotion washed over him, draining him of all strength. A dark depression settled on his thoughts. Thoughts of hopelessness, of being worthless, of being a pathetic waste of a life, swirled like a whirlwind in his mind, depriving him of all strength or resistance. He collapsed, falling to his knees, utterly spent. He managed to turn his head and look up to see a sight that he would have rather not seen.

_"You are ours!"_

The strange creature was expanding even farther. It seemed to be bearing down upon him. It extended huge, claw-like hands towards him, reaching for its prey agonizingly slowly. Haseo closed his eyes, not wanting to see what was going to happen next. He felt the claws wrap around him; it felt like being smothered in cold, liquid tar. The second it closed around him, thousands of emotions blasted through his mind. It felt like his head was going to explode. The strange, bubbly creature pushed him back onto his back, pinning him down and preventing him from moving. The rush of emotions was making his head spin, and he was on the verge of passing out.

"_Submit to us… Your shadow… Your Darkside!"_

"_It's too much…"_ He thought hopelessly. _"I can't do this… alone…"_

Then, suddenly, it stopped. Everything seemed to be quiet. The emotions were gone, he was back in control of his own thoughts, and the pain had ceased, save a minimal amount of throbbing in his head. Without even opening his eyes, he tentatively touched the mirror. Instantly, the warmth flowed up his arm and to his heart, warming his body and defrosting the ice in his veins. Weakly, he spoke to his Avatar.

"_S… Skeith…? Are you there…?"_ He asked, completely drained.

"_I'm here. Are you alright? That stuff did a real number on you, whatever it was."_ Concern coated Skeith's voice, and more warmth flowed out of the mirror, traveling through his whole body, warming it again. Haseo was feeling much better now that he was warm.

"_Yeah, I'm alright. I never want to go through __**that**__ again, though." _Haseo replied.

"_Haseo… wasn't that stuff the same substance that attacked Atoli?"_

The realization hit him like a hammer.

"_Now that I think about it, it was! But… I used the mirror to fend it off last time…"_

"_Then, who fought it off this time?"_

The question hung in the air over his head, but he didn't have to wait long for an answer. Footsteps approached him, and Haseo tentatively opened his right eye a crack. He saw a black boot about six inches away from his face.

"Get up. Your strength will return faster if you stand." The voice was deep, and undoubtedly masculine. Thinking quickly, Haseo tried to piece things together. Whoever this man was, he had saved him, which meant either there was some other way to defeat whatever that black stuff was, or he was an Epitaph User. "I'll help you up, if you need help." The man continued, and Haseo suddenly felt a strong hand wrap around his arm. With what seemed like little effort, the man pulled him up, planting him on his feet, then gripped his shoulder with his other hand to keep Haseo upright.

Carefully, he opened his eyes, squinting almost reflexively. It was unnecessary, though; he was standing in the man's shadow, which was blocking out the sun. Fully opening his eyes, he looked up into the face of his rescuer.

He was tall, with dark brown hair and kind gray eyes. He was wearing a brown sweater that was clearly not of this world, and also what looked like gray sweats. He was wearing a black overcoat that came to his ankles. Haseo felt like an ant in the shadow of this man. He was very muscular, but his face seemed to betray kindness, a sense of knowing how confused Haseo was. He was smiling kindly.

"That was a close call." He said calmly. "It almost had you. A few more seconds and it would have been too late." Haseo finally found his voice, which seemed to have been frozen along with the rest of his body.

"Who… are you…?" He asked. "Are you… an Epitaph User?"

The man smiled knowingly. "Yes. I am like you. But unlike you, I've been acquainted with my Epitaph quite a bit longer than you have." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Don't worry about your memory. All things will become clear in time."

Haseo was slightly taken aback by that statement. How had this man known he had been worried about his memory? He looked at the man's eyes. They seemed wise, as if he had been around a lot longer than him. Haseo dared to hope that he could give him answers.

"What's your name?" He asked, not really sure what to ask. The man smiled.

"My name is Ovan." He replied, nodding his head slightly. Haseo looked away, a bit uncomfortable.

"I'm Haseo." He figured it was only right to tell him his name.

"Yes, I know. I actually know quite a lot about you." Ovan said cryptically. Haseo tilted his head in confusion. How could a person he had never met before in his entire life know a lot about him? Before he could think of a question to ask, Ovan spoke up again.

"A heavy burden has been placed on your shoulders," He said, resting his other hand on Haseo's shoulder and looking him square in the eye. "Take comfort in the fact that there are people out there who want to help you bear that burden.

"But also, be careful. There are people out there who would take your burden away from you. That burden is yours and yours alone. No one else has the strength or capacity to bear it. You cannot let anyone take your burden away."

With every word, Haseo grew more confused. Burden? His alone? He could feel it tugging at the edges of his mind, but the strange force that was suppressing his memory prevented him from reaching it. He looked up at Ovan, desperate for answers.

"I don't understand," Haseo said. "What burden?"

He smiled. "As I said before, all things will become clear in time."

"Haseo!"

He turned, and saw Chigusa standing in between two trees. She seemed shocked. She ran into the clearing and threw her arms around him, causing Ovan to let go of his shoulders. Haseo burned red, but didn't fight it. He was too drained from his earlier encounter with the black beast to resist. Chigusa looked up at him with liquid eyes, overflowing with concern.

"Are you alright? I heard you scream! What happened? Are you going to be okay?" Question after question emerged, and Haseo was too tired to answer them. He dismissed them with a nod, and tried to smile for her. He couldn't let her get so worked up over him, especially since he was alright. Maybe a little tired, but alright.

"I'm okay, Chigusa." He answered with as much confidence as he could muster. To try and ease her anxiety, Haseo pulled her close, returning her hug. With his arms wrapped around her thin frame, she seemed so delicate, so fragile. He buried his face in her hair, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her down from her frenzy of concern. He ran a hand through her hair, breathing slowly.

Chigusa had been totally startled by the action. Never had she expected Haseo to return her hug! It didn't seem to her that Haseo liked her at all, after knowing him for just three weeks. Although, it had taken less time than that for her feelings to develop, so maybe it was possible. Being held by him then, it seemed to make that possibility appear as a reality. He was so warm, so comforting… She squeezed him a little tighter, clinging to that small shred of hope that Haseo could return her feelings.

"_Haseo… Don't let go."_

They both knew they couldn't stay like this forever. Painfully, she pulled away, but still held her arms around him. She looked him in the eye, praying that he was being genuine.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

He smiled sweetly. "Yeah, I'm sure." Chigusa's heart fluttered as she saw no deception in his eyes. He was sincere. She smiled weakly and rested her head against his chest. The fabric of the clothes she had given him was soothing against her skin. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest. His body was so warm. His breathing was steady and even. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't want the moment to end.

"I'm sorry to intrude on your little moment…" came a voice from the other side of the clearing.

Haseo felt Chigusa tense. He looked down and saw that her eyes had widened in shock. Looking up, he saw that Ovan was standing about twenty feet away from them with his arms folded. Chigusa's arms slid out from around his waist, and she looked toward Ovan as well. The mysterious man smiled.

"Chigusa… This is unacceptable." He stated calmly, expressing no emotion. "You claimed to understand your mission. But here I see you again, letting your emotions cloud your duty. Absolutely unacceptable."

A burning in his pocket caused him to almost instinctively touch the mirror. Haseo felt the warmth run up his arm and through his body. Skeith seemed to be in a frenzy.

"_This guy…! I can almost remember… He's… the Rebirth… But… why would the Mirage of Deceit…?"_ There wasn't anything Haseo could think of that would explain any of Ovan's words. _"Grr, what can't we remember?! Mission? Duty?! What is going on here?!"_ Skeith's anger started to wash over Haseo, and he pulled his finger away from the mirror so he could better focus as the events unfolded in front of him.

"I…" Chigusa's head was hung low, and she seemed to be unable to form her words. "I'm… s-sorry… M-Master, I…" She stood in front of Ovan, on the verge of tears.

Ovan gripped her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "Atoli, I revise my orders." He looked up and glared at Haseo, sending a chill down his spine. "The time is now.

"Destroy the Terror of Death."

He dropped his gaze back to the sobbing girl in front of him. "Do you understand your orders, Atoli?"

She sniffed, and nodded weakly. Haseo felt numb.

Destroy the Terror of Death?

Why?

"I trust you will complete your mission." Ovan said calmly.

"Yes…" Chigusa said quietly. "I… I won't fail you again…" She turned back to look at Haseo. Ovan smiled.

"Very good. Then I shall take my leave. Don't disappoint me." Ovan turned and disappeared into the tree line.

Haseo stood dumbstruck. Too much was happening at once. His mind was hazy from the events that had unfolded. Ovan was Chigusa's… Master?

And Ovan wanted Haseo dead?

* * *

Action, suspense, mystery, fluff, EVERYTHING FOR A PERFECT CHAPTER! Yes!

So, same as always, REVIEW PLZ!! I NEED REVIEWS!! They make me happy. And thank you to all of those who have given me reviews in the past! I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Next Chapter: Atoli's torn between loyalty to Ovan and love of Haseo. Fluffy love chapter or epic battle?

Chapter five will be up soon! And will hopefully be shorter! (my hands hurt!)


	5. An Allargando of Anguish

Whoo... It has been a long time since I posted a chapter, I know... But... I was having school issues (yes, I am still in High School), and my computer is a meany and my daddy won't flatten the hard drive to make it not a meany, and I had to do a lot of editing on this chapter! I think I've got it pretty good, now, but...

Well... Sorry for the four... err... five month delay! I'm really sorry!!

Any... Anyway! The epic battle scene is here!! And we finally get to see, err, read an avatar battle!! YAY!

I even stuck in a little bit of FLUFF, too. Just for all of you HaseoXAtoli fans. So have fun.

Read and review, please!

* * *

Chapter Five: An Allargando of Anguish

* * *

He stood dumbstruck, not registering what was happening to him. It seemed like a daydream. A nightmare. A nightmare he was forced to live in and never wake up from. Thoughts flitted through his mind and disappeared as quickly as they came. The sickening feeling that had festered in his heart finally came into focus.

The life he had lived for the past three weeks had been a lie.

Chigusa, Atoli, no matter what he called her, it didn't change the one irrefutable truth that loomed over his head. Ovan had ordered Atoli to destroy him. Atoli had known all of that time of her orders. She didn't care about him; she was only carrying out her orders. All of the feelings that he had thought she had been showing were all lies. That single word echoed in his mind, taunting him with the hopelessness of it all.

_Lies… Lies… Lies… Lies… Lies… Lies… Lies… Lies… Lies… Lies… Lies… Lies…_

The word swirled through his thoughts, torturing him. Memories, memories that he had once thought were happy, resurfaced with a bitter tinge, laced with the poison of lies. The joy that he had felt in the three weeks he had spent with Atoli had been twisted and contorted into bitterness, confusion, and frustration.

"_I feel safe enough not to lie."_

Had that been a lie as well? Had everything Atoli had said been a lie? Skeith was right. Before he had ever acquired the mirror that had changed everything, Skeith had warned him not to trust Atoli. He should have listened to Skeith. He shouldn't have trusted Atoli. She was the Mirage of Deceit. It was her nature.

Inescapable.

"_Is that really how you feel?"_ Skeith questioned, piercing through the haze of thoughts clouding Haseo's mind. _"Do you really think that Atoli isn't aware of her deception?"_

Haseo stopped thinking and listened. It was about time he started listening to Skeith more.

"_She knew what she was doing." _He continued, his voice growing more passionate. Haseo could hear the anger of his avatar. _"She knew the entire time that she was leading you into a trap. And, I have to say that you went with her like an ox to the slaughter. She doesn't care about you. All she cares about is proving herself to her master. Do you really think that she doesn't know that she was lying to you all of this time?"_

The anger that Skeith's words brought him was beginning to swell through Haseo's body, seeming to flow through his veins. It suffused him, bringing him out of his shock. He looked at Atoli, who was sobbing pitifully. Though rage coursed through him, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity. She just looked so sad, so pained; he supposed that was a lie as well. Still, it hurt him inside to see Atoli like this.

She took a step forward, her eyes streaming with tears that glistened in the sunlight almost directly overhead. Atoli seemed to be choking on her words; finally finding her voice, she began to beg.

"H-Haseo, p-p-please! I-I'm… I'm so sorry… I… I don't want this to h-happen… Please… You have to believe me!" She cried, breaking down into more sobs. "I-I… I tried to put it off… as long as I could… hoping maybe… he wouldn't… Please… Haseo…! I don't… want…" By then she had lost all coherency, and began spluttering helplessly. Atoli took a step closer to Haseo, fresh sobs wracking her body.

Atoli covered her eyes with her hands, and let her tears fall. She felt so _empty_ inside, like her heart had just been ripped out and replaced with sawdust. Her tears were a river, flowing freely down her cheeks and dripping off of her face in little droplets of sorrow. Her mind and heart were trapped in a whirlpool of emotion, of confusion. Atoli couldn't disobey her Master, and risk that loneliness again. That horrible torture, of being left alone, was so horrifying to her that she couldn't refuse Master Ovan's orders. It brought chills down her spine and ice to her veins.

And yet… Haseo was her friend. Her one true friend. Atoli felt connected to him on a more personal level. He was so kind to her, and she had tried so hard to be kind to him. He had stuck by her, and she had tried her hardest to be true to him.

It was then that the reality of her actions hit home. It didn't matter what she did. Because of Master Ovan's orders, everything that she did could be seen as deception in Haseo's eyes. No matter how sincere her actions or feelings were, no matter how many apologies she uttered, no matter how many times she begged for forgiveness, Haseo would never trust her. Because of Master Ovan, her only friend had every right to hate her.

A fresh round of sobs wracked her body, and she felt on the verge of collapsing under the weight of her sorrow. In the moment that her knees were about to give out, a strong pair of arms wrapped around her. Before Atoli could register what was happening, she felt herself being pulled against Haseo's warm body. Her eyes widened in shock, but Atoli did not resist. Instead, she rested her head against his chest, clinging to a shred of hope that he could actually forgive her.

Haseo didn't know what possessed him to hold Atoli and try to comfort her. Perhaps it was pity. Perhaps it was love. Perhaps it was just that he couldn't stand to see her cry like that. Perhaps it was just that he couldn't let go of his feelings for her. Either way, he ran a hand through her hair, speaking to her softly.

His kindness only made the chasm in her heart grow wider. Atoli sobbed quietly, listening to his words, hoping to take some comfort from his warmth. But no comfort came; instead, a terrible loneliness settled on her, causing her to break out in fresh tears.

Unwillingly, she accepted her fate.

"H-Haseo…? I… I don't… want… to…" Atoli spluttered and sobbed. "I don't want to be… lonely anymore…"

"It's alright, Atoli…" He replied quietly, softly. "I'm here. You don't have to be lonely."

"I-I'm… so sorry…" She quietly reached into her pocket. "I can't… be lonely anymore… that's why…"

"Everything's alright, Atoli…" He reassured her kindly.

"No… Don't you see? Nothing's alright… I've been abandoned, betrayed, enslaved…" She began to mumble softly, listing the terrible things that had happened to her. "And now… Master Ovan… If I disobey him again… He'll… He'll… punish me… again…"

"Atoli…" Haseo said quietly, stroking her hair.

"That's why… Haseo… I have…" She took a deep breath, savoring the moment; the last moment of his kindness. "I have… to… do this!"

Things happened so fast that the next thing Haseo knew he was doubled over, clutching at a large gash in his stomach. He looked up, and to his horror saw Atoli standing above him, gripping a small knife in her left hand that glinted a brilliant crimson red; the same color of his own eyes and blood. The look on her face was that of grim determination; she had consigned to her orders, unwillingly. He could smell the metallic smell that accompanied blood, and he could feel it dripping through his fingers. The pain felt like nothing he had ever experienced. Horror began to steal over him, and he began to shake uncontrollably. Slowly, he looked up at Atoli, who was still crying.

"… Atoli…?" Haseo said weakly, as his lifeblood trickled slowly away, leaving him with little strength. "… Why…? Why…"

"I can't be lonely anymore," Atoli said quietly, breathing slowly and unsteadily. Her hands began to shake and she dropped the knife. "I won't suffer anymore! I can't take it! Master… Master Ovan promised that if I did this, then I wouldn't suffer anymore!"

"Atoli… you… believe that…?" His head was beginning to spin from blood loss. Darkness began to cloud the corners of his vision. He struggled with himself to hold on to consciousness. "Atoli… no matter what… he says… you'll never… be free… from suffering… from grief…"

"Be quiet!" She snapped, blinking away her tears. "Master has ordered me to do this, and so I'll complete my mission! I won't fail him again! I…" She reached into her pocket, gripping something. "… I am… the Mirage of Deceit! I am…" She pulled the object out of her pocket and up to her heart. Haseo saw that it was the turquoise hand mirror.

The medium of the Mirage of Deceit.

"I am Atoli!!" She screamed, opening the mirror. The mirror's smooth mirrors reflected light from an unknown source. The turquoise shafts of power enveloped her, wrapping her in an aura of aquamarine. Haseo nearly keeled over as a searing heat blazed in his pocket, almost burning his thigh. He reached in, and instantly warmth flowed through his entire body, then congregating around the wound he had been dealt. In a matter of seconds, the pain ceased, and Skeith's thoughts entered his mind.

"_Haseo…! I… I remember now! Our power…"_ His Avatar seemed to be being flooded with revelations about "their power". But Haseo hardly heard him. Instead, his attention was focused on the events transpiring before him.

Atoli had risen off of the ground several feet and had begun to change. The light swirled around her, orchestrating the transformation. It looked almost palpable, like liquid, but in seconds it seemed to harden around her body, forming a shell. Small cracks then appeared, spreading all along her body, until the shell seemed to break, revealing extensive changes to Atoli's appearance.

Her mid-length black hair had been changed to blonde and had been cut short. Covering her head was a large, round white beret with a green charm dangling off of the side. Her body seemed to have become frailer, and yet seemed sturdier at the same time. Gone were her old rags. Instead, a short, green and white dress covered her body, and her legs were clad in long white leggings and small golden high-heeled shoes. Hanging from her shoulders was a pair of white wings that fell down to about the bottom of her dress. Her arms were clad in green, shoulder-less sleeves and white gloves.

The mirror disappeared, seemingly absorbed into her body. The light began to fade, and she set down lightly upon the ground. She opened her eyes, now a brilliant shade of gold, and glared at Haseo. Her tears were gone. Silently, she conjured from nowhere a long, golden staff with an intricately decorated tip. Atoli took a step forward.

"I'm sorry, Haseo," Atoli said quietly, but with conviction. "But in order for me to be happy…" She lifted the staff above her head.

"… You have to die!" She finished angrily. "Vak Don!"

"_Get up!"_ Haseo heard Skeith shout frantically. _"Move! Get out of the way!!"_

Almost instinctively, Haseo shifted his weight to the balls of his feet and pushed himself to the side. In that same moment, massive fireballs appeared above his head, dropping down mercilessly on where he had only moments before been crouching.

"_What is this?!" _Haseo asked Skeith, hoping he would finally get some answers. _"Why did Atoli change like that?"_

"_Haseo, I wish I had more time to explain this to you,"_ Skeith replied quickly. _"But at the moment, agility is key! Keep moving!"_

Immediately, Haseo crouched behind the well, praying there wasn't another black monster hiding in it. Spells almost immediately began to pound mercilessly against the shaky stone structure. He knew that the well would collapse under the barrage of magic. Though it was difficult, he managed to split his attention between listening to Skeith and avoiding Atoli's attacks.

"_Haseo, I may be the main source of your power, but you have your own power as well! This is what Atoli is using right now; her own power! She is a caster, a Harvest Cleric. She isn't the strongest of the casters, but her magic will still hurt pretty badly if you get hit. If you want to survive this, you'll need to use your own power. Your power lies sleeping within you, and the mirror will help you retrieve it!"_

"_How?" _Haseo asked, avoiding a rather nasty looking spell that soared by him. _"I don't have any idea how to call my power! I didn't even know I __**had**__ any power!"_

"_Remember when Atoli said that names are powerful?" _Skeith asked, not waiting for an answer. _"Speak your name to the mirror, and it will call out your power. The mirror will then reside within you and we will have open communication for a time. I'll tell you more then."_ Skeith paused for a moment, before adding; _"It feels so good to remember!"_

Haseo pulled out the mirror and held it to his lips. Without question, he followed Skeith's instructions.

"Haseo!!" He cried, prying open the mirror.

Instantly, he was blinded by red light. It enveloped him and lifted him off of the ground. It seemed to flow through him, empowering him with the warmth he felt every time he touched the mirror. It swirled around him, and he felt the changes in his appearance taking place. Haseo could feel his body changing; his injury was healed completely, and though his clothes were whisked away, he could feel them quickly being replaced. Though he couldn't see himself because of his eyes being closed, he could sense exactly what was happening to him.

His pale white hair toned darker until it was a light shade of silver. It grew short and spiky in the back, while in the front it grew into long bangs that fell down the side of his face. He could feel his eyes changing, becoming more powerful, and could sense them changing color, becoming a darker shade of red. His muscles seemed to tense and then relax, as he sensed that the light was fortifying his muscles, making him stronger. Haseo could also feel the light snaking up and down his body, searing symbols into his stomach, shoulders, and face. The light then seemed to become solid around him, taking the form of tight-fitting black leather pants, a stomach and shoulder-exposing black top, long black gloves that came up to below his shoulders, black boots, wrist guards, hip guards, and everything was held together by belts.

The light faded slowly, and the mirror seemed to fade inside of him, and he could feel its warmth right around his heart, suffusing him with power.

His power.

His feet touched the ground, and he bent his knees slightly before standing up and opening his eyes and experiencing the greatest moment of his life. He almost broke out into tears when he opened his eyes. It proved without a doubt that this power had made him all but invincible.

For the first time in his life, he didn't have to squint in the sun.

He looked at Atoli, who had apparently been desperately casting spells at him to prevent his transformation. She was breathing heavily, looking agitated and shocked at the same time. Haseo looked at her, and felt no pity.

She had deceived him, and now, she was going to pay for it.

"So, that's what you really look like… An Adept Rogue…" Atoli said with astonishment. "It doesn't matter though. Soon you'll be dead and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" She lunged, completely forgoing magic and attacked him with the blunt head of her staff.

"_Who is she trying to fool?"_ Skeith's voice echoed in his mind. _"Does she not know that Epitaph Users can't be killed? Haseo, just follow your instincts. You're an Adept Rogue, after all. You'll know what to do."_

"_Adept Rogue…? Instincts…?"_ He thought, and closed his eyes, tapping his newfound power. Suddenly, as if some otherworldly force had taken over his body, Haseo lifted his arms, conjuring a pair of intricately decorated, golden twin swords out of thin air and holding them in a blocking position. Within a second, Atoli's staff clashed against his block, but with his new strength he held firm. He could feel her struggling against him, trying to overpower him, but he was too strong. Haseo could feel her pushing with all of her might, so he pulled back slightly and side-stepped, letting her tumble forward.

As she went down, Atoli spun her staff, trying to sweep it underneath Haseo's feet. But when she swung, her staff met no resistance. Atoli hit the ground on her back, after swinging her body around with her staff. She looked up and realized that Haseo hadn't dodged sideways like she had thought; he had dodged up! She could see his shadow, high in the air, plummeting towards her with his blades ready to land a decisive strike. It might have been her eyes playing a trick on her, but Atoli could have sworn she saw him grin. She tried to scramble to her feet, but was too slow. Haseo came down on her and struck.

Hard.

The force of the impact made a large cloud of dust, and Haseo could feel the ground beneath him straining. Atoli had been thrown backwards, farther away from him, by the powerful strike. He pulled himself up, and brought his blades into a ready position, waiting for the dust cloud to settle. With his new, powerful eyes, Haseo could see faint outlines through the brown powder that was floating around him. Atoli was on her knees, panting heavily.

Atoli tried to get her breath back, but the adrenaline pumping through her body had her heart racing. Not only was the battle tiring, but it seemed that Haseo was way more powerful than she was. There was no way she could win a battle against him like this. She would fail again, and Master Ovan would punish her severely. Shivers ran down her neck, and she blinked back tears. She looked to see the dust cloud settling, and saw Haseo in a ready position. He didn't look tired at all.

She struggled to her feet, holding her staff in front of her in a ready position. She let out her breath and lifted her staff in the air. She summoned what little magical strength she had left, and focused it into the head of her staff.

"Lei Zas!" She cried, letting fly the strongest attack she could.

Haseo saw it coming and spun out of the way, on his feet. He charged swiftly, aiming strike after strike at the awful liar in front of him. His body fluidly moved into each strike, like he had been fighting like this his entire life; it almost seemed second nature. Atoli backpedaled, desperately parrying every attack. Haseo could feel her weakening, and pressed in on her block even harder, pushing her back toward the tree line. She swung her staff uselessly, trying to make contact with the Adept Rogue's unarmored body, but he was too swift; her attacks were useless and a waste of energy.

Finally, Haseo had her where he wanted her. She was almost completely backed up against a tree. He continued to attack, driving Atoli's back against the bark. He backed off a few inches, and then charged to her side, swinging his right blade directly into her completely unprotected side. The powerful contact sent her reeling sideways, clutching her side. She caught herself, and swung her staff again, absolutely desperate. Haseo dodged backwards, and landed about twenty feet from her.

Atoli pulled herself to her knees, completely drained. All hope was lost. She couldn't defeat him. There was absolutely no way. Her power was not enough. From where she was crouched, Atoli could tell that Haseo wasn't tired at all. He seemed ready to continue for another hour. She took a deep breath, and was ready to admit defeat, when a voice called out to her in her mind.

"_If I may, my lady…"_ Innis suddenly intruded. _"… It would seem that my services are required."_

"_Innis?!"_ Atoli was startled by her sudden outburst. _"What do you mean?"_

"_Face the facts, my lady." _Innis said calmly. _"You cannot defeat Haseo, the Terror of Death, by yourself. Even though he is newly acquainted with his power, he is still able to best you easily because of your casting nature. You aren't a physical fighter, my lady. I can help you… even the odds a bit."_

"_What?" _Atoli replied in horror. Releasing her Avatar on Haseo? She couldn't! Not here, not now…

"_My lady, I understand your hesitance." _Innis said compassionately. _"But if you continue like this, he will overpower you, and we will be punished again. Is that what you want?"_

Atoli tried to stop herself from thinking about punishment. Innis began to press harder on her mind, urging Atoli to release her. She covered her ears, wishing Innis would stop. But her Avatar persisted. The pain was too much for Atoli. She gripped her head and began to scream.

"Stop it! Stop it now, Innis! Please!" She cried, shaking her head. "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Haseo watched the whole thing without moving. He was itching to fight, but more curious as to what was happening to Atoli. But when bright turquoise symbols flashed over her body, he knew instinctively that something was wrong. She doubled over, groaning, then screamed as she was lifted off of the ground and enveloped by blue light, creating a brilliant turquoise aura around her. He could vaguely see a shape outlined by the light. Though he didn't know what it was, his instincts told him otherwise.

_This is Innis, the Mirage of Deceit._

Haseo stood utterly awestruck. Atoli's transformation was horrifying and fascinating at the same time. The outline was at least five times the size of Atoli herself. She hovered several feet above the ground, staring indifferently at Haseo, the golden shade in her eyes gone. It had been replaced with a fabulous turquoise. Her blank stare bored into his mind, freezing Haseo in place.

Slowly, Atoli lifted her hand above her head. The outline mimicked her every move. Two rings of blue light floated around her hand, and a blue orb appeared. Another appeared in her other hand as well. Then, from the orbs protruded long, opaque blue blades. They seemed like they were made of blue glass. Atoli's lips moved, and an unfamiliar voice spoke in a tone that may have been barely a whisper, but the words resonated within Haseo's very heart, mind, and soul, reverberating so loudly that it rocked him to his very core.

_"Die, Terror of Death."_

It wasn't until those words were uttered that Haseo heard Skeith's desperate screaming.

_"Run, Haseo! Run away! Get away from here! You have to move!!"_ Skeith cried frantically.

He moved a split second too late. In a terrible flash, the sword came down, blowing an enormous cloud of dust everywhere. Haseo wasn't sure if he lost consciousness or not, because all he could see was white everywhere he looked. But there was one thing that assured him that he was unfortunately trapped in the waking world. A terrible throbbing in his right leg caused him to look down. Immediately, however, he had wished he hadn't.

His leg, from his knee down, was gone.

Blood spurted from the wound, and his entire leg was searing with pain. White-hot needles were being jammed up his leg, burning intensely. The ground was quickly dyed crimson as his blood seeped away. His head began to spin again, and he could have sworn he would have died of blood loss if it weren't for Skeith.

_"Get up! You have to get up!"_ Warmth immediately flowed from his heart and to his leg. The throbbing stopped, and the wound stopped bleeding. _"That's the best I can do for now, but you have to get up and run! It doesn't matter if your leg isn't there! Just run!!"_

_"Easy for you to say!"_ Haseo snapped, before realizing that he didn't need his leg after all. As he stood up, it almost felt like his leg was still there. _"What did my dad used to call it?"_ Haseo thought. _"Ghost sensations? Maybe that's what it is."_

_"Maybe,"_ Skeith replied. _"I'm not sure about it either, but it's convenient! So run!!"_

Looking up, he saw that Atoli and her silhouette had raised the other arm. Haseo hightailed it into gear and ran, completely oblivious at times to the fact that he was missing half a leg. It was then that he noticed the damage from Innis' first attack. The well was gone, as well as about three dozen trees. But the odd thing was, Haseo noticed, that there were no remains. It was if they had vanished into thin air.

_As if they were mirages_.

It was then that it hit him. The forest, the well, the entire city and all of it's people; mirages. Every last one of them, a lie conjured by Atoli's power. Rage boiled within him, and he ran faster than he would have ever though possible. Atoli was still a ways behind him, and her swift blades sliced through the trees like they weren't even there, because, in reality, they weren't. The blades swept through the trees, and like mist, they withered away and vanished, clearing a considerable amount of forest that would have made any lumberjack green with envy.

Haseo's leg had begun to throb again, but in his desperate flight from the terrible fate behind him, he ignored the pain, pumping his one good leg and his other imaginary leg like he had never run in his whole life. The pain grew worse, evolving from a steady throb to needles of pain running up his thighs. Biting back the pain, he rushed ahead, the scenery around and in front of him fading into a blur of blue, green, and brown. The forest seemed immense.

His desperate sprint ended abruptly when his only remaining foot caught on a tree root. The world spiraled into another blur, and he crashed into the ground, earning himself several hefty scratches on his face and a mouthful of dirt. He spit out the sod and leaves, and tried to turn up, but doing so allowed him to see Atoli, the terrible azure aura of Innis flowing around her, bringing her left blade down upon him. He turned quickly to the right, praying that he could avoid the worst.

His prayers were answered, but not in the way he had hoped. True, he had avoided the worst, but an unbearable pain in his left arm informed him that he had not escaped the attack unscathed. With his one remaining arm, he lifted himself up and began to sprint again, clutching the bleeding stump that was once a powerful arm. He couldn't feel the blood through his glove, but the texture of the wound was enough to make him want to pass out. It almost felt like wet carpet.

He could smell the metallic smell again, and darkness was gathering at the corners of his vision. He tried to shake it from his mind, but the blood loss that he had accumulated from three mortal wounds was catching up with him. He knew he wouldn't last much longer. Haseo knew that his body, no matter how powerful it was, couldn't take much more than this. He could almost feel himself shutting down, when a powerful burst of power fled from his heart to his entire body, filling him with strength and clearing his mind.

_"You can't give up, Haseo! Remember who you are!!"_

The tree line unexpectedly broke, and Haseo found himself racing toward the river. The banks were wide, but it was clear on the other side. He could hear the wind whistling through Innis' blades, and he made a snap decision.

Jump.

For even a moment, Haseo could have sworn he was flying. Even without one leg, he soared over the river like it was a crack in the sidewalk. Landing awkwardly on the other side, he turned around and faced the aquamarine attacker. She seemed to stay on her side of the river, waiting for Haseo to make his move. He wasn't sure what he should do. He knew that he couldn't attack like this, with only one arm. He was debating his options when a sly little voice within the confines of his mind resonated through his thoughts.

_"What to do, what to do…"_ Skeith said almost playfully. _"You seem to be forgetting me again."_

_"… What…?"_

_"Remember, Haseo,"_ His voice was dripping with sadism. _"Remember what she's done to you. Remember who you are. Remember what makes you the Terror of Death. Remember your power. Remember your pain. Remember your rage!!"_

Dizzying thoughts spun around his head, buzzing around like an irksome fly. _Remember, remember, remember, remember, remember…_ Like a mantra, the word echoed through his thoughts and clouded his mind. Faded images surfaced, some memories that he had never seen before. He saw terrible visions of his past, of the cruelty and neglect, of pain and loneliness. He saw crimson, the color of blood, it's terrible power seeping into the earth as it was freely spilt by murderous hands. _His_ murderous hands.

But most vivid of all, Haseo saw a vision of himself. He stood in a wide clearing, surrounded by the bodies of the fallen. Blood was everywhere. Not a single being stirred but himself. He held up his hands, and saw the crimson of other people's lifeblood staining his hands. He felt the thrill, the excitement, the intoxication. The power to take someone's life away from them was in his possession. It was in his hands, in the form of blood, freely spilt for sheer pleasure.

The feelings surrounded him, wrapping him in warmth. The power was overwhelming. Haseo opened his eyes, and saw himself, his entire body covered in bright red symbols. The power swirled around Haseo like a vortex, threatening to sweep him away. It seemed to flow through his entire being, his heart, mind, and soul. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let the power purge him completely. A voice, faint, but clearly audible, sounded in his ears.

"_Your light brings only chaos and destruction, death and pain!"_

He grinned, understanding the truth behind the words,

_"Accept your power, **Haseo!!**"_

_**"Skeith!!"**_

With sadistic pleasure, Haseo released the being in the back of his mind. His dark side flowed to the forefront of his mind, merging with him and drowning him in a terrible, uncontrollable, single-minded desire.

_Destroy._

The power flowed around him, projecting the image of the Terror of Death in a brilliant crimson red. Lifting his hand slightly, a long, red-bladed scythe appeared in his hand. A mirror image scythe appeared in the silhouette's outstretched hand. Though the Terror of Death was surprisingly smaller than the Mirage of Deceit, the aura glowed deeper and more vibrantly, showing the height of his power.

Haseo opened his eyes, seeing Atoli and her avatar through a haze of red. Skeith was no longer confined to the recesses of his mind. His avatar was merged with him, and they were once again one and the same. Power coursed through their veins, lifting him off of the ground, causing him to hover several feet above the ground. There was nothing restraining them. They were free to decide their course.

Innis charged, swinging madly, plunging wildly at Skeith and Haseo with destruction as her only intent. The attack was swatted playfully away by the scythe. It was then flipped back around and landed a rather nasty slash on the avatar, only barely missing the User encased within. Bringing the scythe back, Skeith and Haseo unleashed a barrage of slashes, cutting through the aura of the opposing avatar like it was wet tissue paper.

Innis swept upward, flying with her strike, though it missed even touching the newly merged Epitaph User and Avatar, she ended up being above them. She pointed both of her blades downward, and charged, intending to run them through. Haseo and Skeith swiftly dashed out of the way, and plunged down after her, swinging rapidly from all angles, putting more slashes through Innis' aura. She pulled up, and met Skeith and Haseo head on. The two opponents faced each other, each waiting for the other to make a move. Innis spoke up, with Atoli as her mouthpiece.

"Terror of Death, you really don't understand, do you?" She said calmly, despite her injuries and the fractured aura around her. "Lady Atoli is only trying to protect herself. Is that so wrong? She doesn't want to be tortured again."

"I don't fault her for that." Skeith replied through Haseo, much to his surprise. "But what I do fault her for is thinking that we will just roll over and be defeated. We will never give up! We cannot lose!!" He slashed his scythe for emphasis. "So go ahead! Just try and stop us!"

Innis shrugged. "Very well."

She rushed forward, unleashing a swift barrage of strikes that seemed to come from all angles. Skeith was unfazed, however, and blocked them all like they were nothing but a bothersome fly buzzing around his head. Just as swiftly, Skeith unleashed a volley of strikes with even greater power. Innis backed off slightly, staggering under the force of the blows. Skeith pressed in harder, pushing her back under the pressure of his strikes. Most of them were parried, but a good percent made contact with the blue aura surrounding Innis' User.

The battle raged all over the place. The sky, the plain, the remains of the forest, above the river, they seemed to be flying everywhere, avoiding each other's attacks with unsurpassed grace; each brush with death beautifully avoided. Their battle was almost like a dance; one would attack, while the other blocked or dodged, preparing a new attack. Though the battle was painfully long, the length didn't seem to phase either combatant at all; their avatar's energy propelling them both onward.

The Mirage of Deceit drew back, and pointed her swords forward; preparing to run Skeith through, but the Terror of Death was one step ahead of her. He dashed to the side at the last second, and let his scythe tip linger in Innis' way, causing her to run herself through with it. Looking back, Skeith and Haseo both saw that not only had Innis been run through, but Atoli was also directly in the blade's path.

Haseo was about to pull the blade out, when he heard a pained scream, and a powerful force began to flow into the two of them through the scythe. He looked down the length of the staff, and saw a bright red force surrounding the weapon, flowing from Innis and into Skeith and Haseo through the scythe. Haseo tried to let go, but found he couldn't; his hands seemed stuck to the scythe handle. The force continued to flow, filling him with a dizzying amount of power. A single phrase ran through their minds.

_Data Drain_

Finally, the power ceased flowing, and the aura surrounding Atoli completely dissipated. She began to slowly fall back to the ground, the last of her power disappearing. As she fell, the remains of the forest shimmered and vanished. After falling a few feet, her skin seemed to crack and shatter, revealing her ordinary form as Chigusa. She fell gently down and settled to the ground, the last few sparkles of her power settling down next to her.

Haseo could feel the synchronization between himself and Skeith lessening. The power continued to flow around him, but he seemed more in control of his body and his actions. All at once, the burden of the power fell upon him, threatening to crush him. To Haseo, it seemed like a massive weight had just been set down on the back of his mind. Pain seared up his leg and arm, and looking down, he realized that his injuries had re-opened during the fight, and blood was leaking steadily out of both.

Haseo felt his consciousness slipping, and darkness began to gather at the corners of his vision. The world below him began to spin, and he started to fall. As his eyes slipped closed, he heard a tiny voice in the back of his mind whispering to him.

_Chigusa Kusaka… Shino Nanao… The Mirage of Deceit is yours… Terror of Death…_

* * *

"… He succeeded."

Ovan nodded in response. They were standing just beyond the tree line about thirty feet from where the Terror of Death and the Mirage of Deceit had been dueling. Now, after the defeat of the Mirage of Deceit, the power that had upheld the illusion of the forest and town was gone. It had been drained into the Terror of Death, and was no longer under Atoli's jurisdiction to use. He was still in awe over the Terror of Death's power. So strong, after only just merging. The amount of potential power Ovan estimated they had together was startling. They had only scratched the surface with that battle, he could tell from afar. At this rate, they would overcome the other Epitaph Users with little effort. The plan would run smoothly, he knew. They would only need a bit of… encouragement. His plans were falling into place neatly. It was making him almost giddy.

Of course, not that he'd ever admit that to Shino.

"Shall we move forward with the plan?" She asked, turning to him.

"No," was his reply. "I think first, they are both in for some… reparations."

"Do you mean… Tooru?" She asked with a quizzical look on her face.

"Why, yes." He replied. "Tooru."

* * *

Well? Well!? Did I not say it would be EPIC?!

I had to do so much editing on this chapter; it took so long to write! I usually barely do any editing on a chapter, but this was an exception. Had to make it especially epic for you all.

Next Chapter: Sakaki makes his appearance! Dun Dun DUNNNN!! You might be a little confused by the role I give him, but DON'T WORRY! It will make sense eventually. I am sure of it. And don't worry about Haseo's arm and leg. That will be taken care of as well!

And of course, REVIEWS! I NEED REVIEWS! THEY ARE THE ONLY THING THAT KEEP ME WRITING!! I NEED YOUR INPUT, SUPPORT, AND IDEAS!! SO PLEASE REVIEW!!

Oh, and to everyone who's reviewed my work so far, DOOMO ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!


	6. A Ritardando of Repairation

I AM SO SOOOOOOOOORYYYYY!!!! I hadn't realized that it had been so long since I posted a chapter until I received a rather impatient review the other day. (To ff7 fan, thank you for getting me off of my lazy butt to actually sit down and write out the rest of this chapter!) Were I actually able to see you all, I'd probably get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness, but I can't, so I'll do it digitally. (*Gets down on knees and begs forgiveness*)

Anyways, this is mostly a filler chapter, but there are a lot of key details revealed in this chapter. If some things don't make sense, they will more than likely be explained in future chapters. (Yay for cliffhangers! Although, it seems like I leave you guys on cliffhangers for far too long, so I'll try not to this time... o.0) I also tried to interject a little humor, so hopefully it won't be too boring... o.0

Please R,R, and Enjoy!

* * *

"… _No… The pain… It's too much…"_

_Sounds reverberated around the empty space, shattering the blackness in a chorus of dismal echoes._

"_Come… Come to us…"_

"_You cannot hold on…"_

"_You are weak…"_

_Curling into a ball, he put his fists to his ears, trying to block the voices._

"_N… No…! Stay… Stay away!!! … Leave… Leave me… alone!!!" He lashed out, trying to strike at the darkness swirling around him, but his arm only met empty air. A harsh, shrill laughter echoed through his mind, shattering his thoughts and viciously tearing at his soul._

"_Join us… Join our chorus of darkness…" The voice trailed off into a low hiss, coiling around his heart and strangling it._

"_Go away!!!" He screamed, desperation clearly audible in his voice. "Leave me alone!!!"_

"_Surrender… and submit!!!" The voices grew in volume, and the noise was almost deafening. Then suddenly, a loud crack silenced the voices. He opened his eyes slightly and saw that light was pouring through cracks that had opened in the floor. Another deafening crack, and the floor gave way, causing him to descend into an infinite chasm of darkness._

"_Nooooooooo!!!"_

* * *

Chapter 6: A Ritardando of Revelation

* * *

"Nooooooooo!!!" Haseo screamed as he bolted upright in bed, sweating. He was almost instantly pushed back down by an immense wave of pain coming from his right leg. He lay with his eyes closed for several seconds, still trying to get a grasp on reality, but the pain was almost unbearable. Finally, his head stopped spinning and his senses returned to normal. No darkness, no voices.

"_I guess it was a dream…" _He thought sourly, with a twinge of relief. _"It sure felt real, though…"_

Haseo massaged his temples, trying to relax, but then realized in shock that he was using his left hand. He looked at his hand, turning it and flexing it, making sure that what he was seeing was real. Sure enough, the hand was every bit as real as the rest of his body.

"_How is this possible?" _He thought. _"Didn't Innis…? How did it…?"_

"It would seem that you are awake, Terror of Death," A voice called from the other side of the room.

Haseo turned his head to look, and saw a young man standing in the doorway. He was dressed in what looked to Haseo like traditional Japanese clothing, and had a complacent look on his face. He strode into the room, walking to a large cabinet on the wall.

"It certainly took you a while, you know. You've been asleep for quite a long time." The man said, opening the cupboard and rummaging through various bottles and flasks. "Still, that is to be expected, I suppose. Your first battle, and you lose an arm _and_ a leg. You really should be more careful, Terror of Death." Haseo could hear the sarcasm in his voice, which irritated him. He pulled out a small green glass bottle and carried it over to Haseo's bedside.

"Um…" Haseo started, "… who the heck are you, and how do you know me?"

The man laughed. "My apologies, Terror of Death. I find myself so often alone that I forget common courtesy." He placed the bottle on a small table next to Haseo's bed and bowed.

"It is an honor to meet you. My name is Tooru Uike. You may call me Sakaki."

* * *

Atoli sat at a small desk in the little room that Sakaki had provided her while she and Haseo recovered from their battle. She set down the pencil that she had been writing with and sighed. She had been restless ever since she had woken up, and the fact that Haseo had not regained consciousness had disturbed her. She picked up the pencil again, and attempted to write in her journal for the seventeenth time.

She tried desperately to make the words flow, but a dam of frustration blocked her ideas from melding with the page. Her hand began to shake from the pent up irritation within her, and she dropped the pencil and ripped out the page she had been attempting to write on, crumpled it up, and threw it against the wall. It fell behind her bed and out of sight. She slumped back down and tried to stifle the tears rising in her eyes and the sobs in her throat. A single phrase was revolving in her mind, echoing torturously behind every thought.

_You have failed again, Atoli._

"No!" She cried, shaking her head. "It… It wasn't my fault! It wasn't my fault that he was…"

_Stronger than you? _A voice in her mind seemed to echo in response.

"Yes! It's not my fault!" She screamed. "I couldn't control how powerful he-"

_You can control how powerful __**you**__ are._

"Eh…?" She sat up straight, tears welling up in her eyes.

_You could have made yourself stronger than he was. You could have practiced. It wasn't his fault for being stronger than you; it was your fault for not making yourself stronger than him._

"_Stop it!" _She cried out in her mind, being too choked up with sobs to respond verbally. _"Just stop!!"_

_And now you're paying the price for being idle and disobedient. You will forever suffer as Atoli; forever will you be a failure. It was entirely your fault, and there is nothing you can do to escape that._

"_I said stop!!!"_

_And that is not your only punishment…_

"_What…!?"_

_You have lost your talent as well._

"…_!"_

_You have lost your gift, and it is gone forever. It can never be reclaimed._

"_No…!"_

_You will forever be a failure._

"… _No…!!"_

_You will never be worth anything._

Atoli fell sideways off of her chair, curled up in a fetal position, and cried.

"… _No…"_

* * *

"No way!!!" Haseo shouted, backing away as far as he could.

"Please, Terror of Death," Sakaki said patiently. "You need to drink this if you have any hope of ever walking again." He held the bottle out. "And besides, it is not as bad as it smells."

"I already told you! No way am I drinking that crap!" He stated with finality. "It smells like something that died, came back to life, fell into a slag heap, and then died again!"

"Terror of Death, I can always restrain you and force you to drink it. However, it would be much more convenient for the both of us if you took the medicine willingly." Sakaki held out the bottle one more time.

Haseo eyed the bottle suspiciously, then decided to swallow his pride and took the bottle. With one hand, he plugged his nose, and with the other, he raised the bottle to his lips. With one swift gulp, the foul medicine was down his throat. He took the bottle from his mouth, unplugged his nose, and nearly gagged. Sakaki chuckled, and took the bottle away from him. He walked over to the cupboard again, replaced the green bottle and took from it a clear one with a light red fluid inside. Haseo, who had finished gagging, eyed the new bottle apprehensively, for fear of being forced to take more revolting medicine.

"Terror of Death…" Sakaki said quietly. "You are strangely not inquisitive, I have noticed. Do you not wish to know where you are, or what role I play? Why I am here to heal your wounds?"

Haseo thought for a moment, and then a thought struck him. "My mirror! Where's my mirror!?" He frantically searched his pockets, but the black mirror was nowhere to be found. He began to hyperventilate, fearing that he had lost it.

"Relax, Terror of Death," Sakaki said calmly. "Your mirror is here." He held up a large lump wrapped in a black and red cloth.

Haseo sighed with relief. "Can I have it?" He asked anxiously.

"Not until you are finished healing, I am afraid." Sakaki said. "If I give you access to your power now, before you are finished healing, you may only injure yourself further."

"Oh… I see." Haseo said quietly, a touch depressed that he couldn't talk to Skeith.

"However," Sakaki continued, "I will answer your questions, if it is within my power to answer." He pulled up a wooden chair and sat down at the foot of Haseo's bed.

"Alright, then…" Haseo mused for a few moments, before coming to a decision on what question to ask. "I guess to start off, who are you? I know you're Sakaki, but what are you?"

"Ah… a fascinating inquiry. I have been commissioned by Morganna to heal her children if the need arises. The battles do often get so bloody."

"Excuse me," Haseo interjected. "But, _"battles"_? There have been other battles before?"

"Of course, Terror of Death." Sakaki replied. He then thought for a few seconds before continuing. "The veil over your memory is most likely still thick, so you are unaware of this fact, but…" He let the sentence trail off, as if he was unsure whether to continue or not.

"But…?" Haseo asked, urging him to continue.

"But… the Children of Morganna are at war with one another." Sakaki finished.

Haseo stared at him for a few moments. "At… war…?" He asked. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"I assure you… this is no joke." Sakaki said firmly. "You are at war with your siblings. It is a war that has been raging since the beginning of time. And the battles will only get bloodier from here, Terror of Death. Now that you have successfully overcome the Mirage of Deceit, you have made a place for yourself in this war. Your siblings will more than likely lay cunning traps to ensnare and enslave you."

"My… siblings…" He let his words trail off, as his thoughts wandered, lost in endless possibilities. "So… what exactly happened when I…" He paused, wondering how to put the strange power he used into words.

"… Data Drained The Mirage of Deceit?" Sakaki finished for him, almost reading his mind.

"Is that what it's called? That weird power?"

"'That weird power' is what ended the fight between the two of you. Data Drain is the ability to wrench your opponent's power from them and add it to your own. It is a power exclusive to the Epitaphs and their Epitaph Users, the power that will decide this war. It will allow you to build your strength and overcome your siblings. Undoubtedly, you felt stronger after your battle?" He asked.

"Stronger?" He echoed, thinking back to the hazy moments before he lost consciousness. "It wasn't really that… it was almost overwhelming, for lack of a better word." He answered.

"I suppose that's to be expected, Terror of Death." Sakaki said, shrugging. "It was your first Data Drain, after all. You are hardly accustomed to large amounts of power flowing into your body. It was possibly just too much for you to handle at the time."

"I see…" Haseo said thoughtfully. It was then that a thought struck him. "What happened to Atoli? What did the… Data Drain…? What did it do to her?" He asked, concern carefully hidden in his tone.

"You need not worry," Sakaki replied calmly. "Physically, The Mirage of Deceit has almost completely recovered. However…"

Haseo eyed him suspiciously. "However…?"

Sakaki sighed. "She seems to be having a tough time, as of late. She is having difficulty recovering, mentally and psychologically."

"What!?" He tensed all of his muscles, but doing so caused the wound in his leg to shoot needles of pain up his leg. He winced, and Sakaki handed him the small bottle of red liquid.

"Drink this," He said. "It will numb the pain. I meant to give it to you earlier, but it slipped my mind." Sakaki noticed the suspicious look on Haseo's face and shrugged. "Personally, I think it tastes much better than the previous medicine."

Haseo wasn't convinced, but he took the bottle anyway. If it would make the pain go away, then he didn't really care what it tasted like. He downed the bottle in one gulp, with only a small gag reflex. Sakaki took the bottle back and got up to replace it in the cupboard.

"The Mirage of Deceit merely needs emotional support," Sakaki continued. "And that kind of emotional support can only come from her Master."

"Master…?" Haseo asked. "Do you mean that Ovan guy?"

"The Rebirth? No, of course not." Sakaki said. "The Rebirth would never give her emotional support, even if it cost The Mirage of Deceit her life."

"Then who..?"

"You, of course."

* * *

A young man walked through a long tunnel, with a determined look on his face. His long blue hair was swishing back and forth behind him, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. The walls of the tunnel were gray, with long lines of flowing blue lights running along its length. He was moving briskly, not wanting to be any later than he already was, for various reasons. Coming out of the mouth of the tunnel, he met the first of those reasons. A young woman was waiting for him with a very impatient look on her face. She was tapping her foot on the floor, emphasizing that she was not happy with him. From behind the glare of her glasses, he could sense a very strong anger being directed at him.

"You're late." She said curtly.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Pi." He replied apologetically. "I was-

"Sorry isn't good enough!" Pi interrupted angrily. "I don't want to hear your excuses! You need to stop avoiding your duties! You are the Propagation, and you are also _my_ servant! You should know better than anyone else that a terrible punishment awaits us both for your incompetence!" She then walked up to him and punched him in the jaw. "Do you understand, _Kuhn!?_"

Kuhn massaged his jaw, and then replied, "Yeah."

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, you eight-bit excuse for an Epitaph User!" She grabbed his face and forced him to look her square in the eye. "What did you say?"

"Yes, _ma'am_." He said, with a sigh of defeat.

"That's better." Pi said, relaxing slightly and releasing him. "Now come quickly. Master Yata is calling us. It is apparently urgent."

"So I heard," Kuhn said, as they walked through the antechamber towards the main room of the Serpent of Lore, their main base of operations. "I also heard that it has something to do with _him_?" He ended with a question.

"Yes." Pi replied, keeping her eyes straight ahead. "It is something concerning the Terror of Death."

"Man, oh, man." Kuhn said, scratching the back of his head. "This can't be good. It's been nothing but headaches since he awakened."

"You're telling me." Pi said stiffly.

They entered the main room of the Serpent of Lore. It was a large chamber with a pedestal set on the top of a set of stairs. All around them, large holographic projectors were displaying many images of the many worlds of the Epitaph Users. In the center of it all, standing on the large pedestal, was a tall, powerful-looking man dressed in a red garb, who was watching the screen in front of him intently. In one hand, he held a large, golden fan which he snapped open and shut at times. He did not turn when they entered.

"Pi. Kuhn. You have arrived." He said with calm composure.

"Yes, Master Yata." Pi said with cold professionalism. "For what purpose did you summon us?"

"I have called you to inform you that the Terror of Death is currently in recovery." Yata stated matter-of-factly.

"Recovery?" Kuhn asked, his inquisitiveness getting the better of the instructions that had been beaten into him long ago by Pi to 'never speak in Master Yata's presence'. "Does that mean that Haseo lost?"

"No." Yata said firmly. "He easily defeated the Mirage of Deceit with the power of his Avatar."

"Fool." Pi said, turning to him. "Haseo is much stronger than we had ever anticipated. Our initial predictions were nowhere near accurate, and you think that the Terror of Death would have lost to someone as weak as the Mirage of Deceit?"

"I guess you're right…" Kuhn said submissively. "Sorry."

"It does not matter." Yata interjected. "The fact of the matter is, that we need to take action now. He will only become stronger as time progresses, and if we leave him too long, then we will have no chance of overcoming him. Pi?"

"Yes, Master Yata?" She responded, straightening up.

"Have you finished the preparations?"

"Yes."

"Good. The back-up plan is set. I expect you to successfully bring him here, Pi."

"Of course, Master Yata." She said. "It is an honor to serve you."

"Very well, then." Yata said with finality. "You both are dismissed."

As they left, he turned his attention inward. _"I will prove Morganna wrong. I will stand victorious in this war. I will defeat Haseo, and with Haseo's power, I will defeat Ovan. All of the pieces will neatly fall into place once the Terror of Death is my servant…" _He laughed inwardly and set to work once again.

* * *

"I'm _WHAT?!?_" Haseo cried, reeling back slightly.

"Now that you have Data Drained the Mirage of Deceit, you have obtained mastery over her power, and, by virtue of that fact, have become her Master." Sakaki said calmly. "It is all part and parcel of the war that you have been forced to fight. You will understand eventually that-"

"But," Haseo interjected, "what does that mean? Atoli's my friend, not my servant!!"

His own words made him pause for a moment. _"My friend…?"_ He thought to himself. _"Is she really? After all of the awful things that she did to me, can I really still think of her as a friend…?"_

"It is unavoidable, Terror of Death." Sakaki said nervously, as Haseo's outburst was rather startling. "It is how it is supposed to be. You cannot change the fact that the Mirage of Deceit has been bound into your service. Her power is now being shared between the two of you, flowing through both of your veins."

"_Her power, huh…"_ He thought sourly.

Sakaki added cautiously, "There are many advantages to having your sibling as a servant."

"Advantages…? _Advantages!?_" Haseo yelled angrily. "What good could possibly come from enslaving my "siblings"!?"

"Please, calm down, Terror of Death… You are going to injure yourself if you do not…" Sakaki said quietly. "For example, they can no longer use your true name as a weapon against you."

"Use… my name… as what..?" Haseo asked, confusedly.

"I'm almost certain that the Mirage of Deceit has told you this before," Sakaki began, "but names have a large amount of power."

"Oh yeah… Skeith said the same thing…" Haseo said, remembering the battle. _"My name… is a weapon against me…?"_ He thought.

"Your true name, the one that you go by in your original world, can be used as a weapon against you in other worlds," Sakaki continued. "By having direct contact with the person and saying their name, you can force that person to do anything. Freeze, tense up, remain silent, heal themselves… the possibilities are endless."

"What? Why do our names give us such a weakness!?" Haseo asked angrily, clenching his fists.

"Of that, I do not know," Sakaki replied sadly. "However, not everyone can use your name against you, Terror of Death. Only other Epitaph Users can utilize this weakness. Oh, and as I said before, your servants cannot use this weakness; at the same time, the effect on your servants is greatly increased when you use their name against them. Also, this weakness can only be used while you are not in your original world."

"Wow…" Haseo said, awestruck and slightly confused. "I had no idea… my name was so important…"

"It is only one of the Epitaph User's great weaknesses…" Sakaki cut the sentence off, and looked fearful, like he had said too much.

Haseo picked up on his hesitance. "Wait a minute… "Only one"? Does that mean that there are more weaknesses that I don't know about!?" His anger rose again.

Sakaki sighed, and looked to be debating something with himself. He shook his head and decided to concede the information. "You have another…" He said finally.

"Another…?" Haseo repeated, urging him to continue.

"One other weakness." Sakaki said quietly. "It is a weakness that all Epitaph Users have, but it manifests differently in each."

"Well, what is it!?" Haseo asked impatiently, as the suspense was killing him.

Sakaki stared at the floor, and thought for a moment before speaking very quietly. "Your Fatal Flaw."

"My… Fatal Flaw…? What's that?" Haseo asked, confused.

"It is a weakness that you hold with you for your entire life." Sakaki answered. "Morganna gave each of her children one to counter-balance their incredible power."

"Counter-balance…?" Haseo repeated, utterly lost.

"For example…" Sakaki said quietly, "I believe that your eyesight is your fatal flaw."

"My photophobia?" Haseo responded. "But… that's just because I'm albino…"

"Yes… The difficulties that present themselves because of your condition are to counter-balance your immense amounts of power. You are the strongest of the Phases of Morganna, and I believe you are also Morganna's… how should I put this…? Her favorite."

The only response Sakaki received was a blank stare.

"I suppose you don't remember it… The veil over your memory is still very thick." He said, shrugging. "You will remember eventually, as you progress further in this war and Data Drain more of your siblings."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Haseo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Simply that every time you Data Drain one of your siblings, the veil gets weaker. In short, more of your memory will return the more you use Data Drain." Sakaki finished.

"_So, basically, I have to Data Drain the rest of my "siblings" if I want to ever remember?"_ Haseo thought.

"Wait," Haseo said, thinking back to Sakaki's explanation. "You said that as I Data Drain the other Phases, I'll get more of my memory back. Right?"

"That is correct."

"If that's the case," He continued, "then why haven't I remembered anything new?"

"I'm certain it will come to you soon, Terror of Death," Sakaki said calmly. "You just need to be patient."

"Patient… right…" Haseo said, downhearted.

Sakaki stood up. "I believe that you should try to get some rest, Terror of Death. That leg will not grow back without sleep."

"Right…" Haseo said, lying back down. Sakaki walked over to the door and opened it, and then flipped a switch on the wall, darkening the room.

Sakaki stepped out of the room, and as he closed the door, he said quietly, "Sleep well, Terror of Death…"

* * *

Atoli was curled up in a fetal position on her bed, tears streaming down her face. The voice in her head had long since stopped torturing her, but the words that it had said were still echoing around in her mind. It was the worst torture that she could imagine. Her own thoughts were ripping her apart at the seams, breaking her will.

"_I failed… I failed Master Ovan…"_ She thought. _"I'm worthless… nothing but a failure…"_

"_I couldn't even complete… that one thing… the only thing he asked of me…"_

"_Haseo… He'll probably just throw me away… He doesn't want… a failure like me…"_

"_I… I can't think… I can't think like this…! Haseo won't… throw me away… He'll be… a good Master…"_

"_I… I have to be a good servant… I have to make up for… all of my past failures…"_

"_I will… serve Haseo… with all of my heart! I have to… devote myself… my entire being… to him…"_

She turned over and cried harder, the tears staining the white pillowcase.

"_I must not fail… I can't fail… For my sake… and for his…"_

She closed her eyes, and let her thoughts trail away into sleep.

"_Haseo…"_

* * *

It was two days before Haseo's leg grew back completely. It was another half of a day before he was able to walk on it without any pain. During that time, Sakaki felt that it wasn't the best idea for Haseo to see Atoli. When Haseo questioned why, Sakaki simply replied that she had too many things that she needed to sort out for herself. Haseo agreed that it probably wouldn't be a good idea for him to see her. Either way, Sakaki had said that he would be well enough to leave the next day anyway.

Haseo was sitting at the desk in the room Sakaki had given him after his leg had re-grown. He wasn't really doing anything productive, just sitting at the desk drumming his fingers on the table. He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Without turning to look, he shouted for the person to come in, assuming it was Sakaki.

The door creaked open and Atoli entered.

"… Haseo…?" She said weakly.

The sound of her voice made him jump. He turned and looked at her, which he hadn't done in at least six days. She was ordinary Chigusa, dressed in similar clothes to him, a white shirt and long white pants. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"Atoli!" Haseo remarked, startled. "What are you doing here? I thought Sakaki didn't want us talking to each other while we recover…"

She looked away from him for a few seconds, and then took a deep breath, as if she were preparing herself for the worst.

"I'm sorry… I just… I needed…" She looked like she was desperately floundering for the right words to say. "I needed… I needed to talk to you."

Haseo tilted his head slightly in confusion. "Okay," He motioned for her to sit down in a chair next to him. "What do you need to talk to me about?"

Atoli sat in the chair, fidgeting uncomfortably. She looked around nervously for a few moments, and then found the right words.

"I just… I needed to talk to you. I just feel really insecure right now, and… I… wanted you to help me." She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Haseo looked at her, and then a cynical little voice inside his head began to whisper to him.

_She's just a traitor. Why should you help her? She was going to try to kill you, to try to make you a slave. Why should you even care about her?_

He thought about it for a moment, made a decision, and then replied; _"Because she's my friend."_

_Hrmph! Some friend._ The voice then shut up. Haseo had a sudden longing to talk to Skeith. Listening to the other voices in his head was annoying. They were constantly berating him about one thing or another.

"_But then again, so does Skeith."_ He thought sarcastically. He then turned his attention back to Atoli. _"How does she expect me to help her? Is she looking for some sort of consolation? An assurance that I'm still her friend? What does she want from me…?"_ A single word then surfaced in his mind.

_Forgiveness._

"_That's it." _He thought.

"Haseo…?" Atoli asked, looking ready to cry. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it, Atoli?" Haseo replied, looking her in the eyes. She immediately looked away, but then took a deep breath and steeled herself.

"Do you hate me?" She asked.

Haseo closed his eyes, laughed inwardly, and then opened his eyes and faced the question.

"Atoli, I have to tell you something." He said calmly.

"What is it?"

"For the past few days, I've been wondering the same thing myself. Do I hate you? How can I like you after what you did to me?" Atoli winced. "What possible reason could I have to ever want to see you again? I was almost convinced that I could never forgive you.

"But, then I thought that I needed to think about it from a different angle. Why not think about it from your perspective? It's certainly not fair to only look at this through my eyes. So I thought about it, and realized that you probably didn't really realize exactly what you were going to be doing when Ovan ordered you to do what you did. And even if you did, you probably didn't realize what would happen after spending three weeks with me. We became friends, and things changed. You didn't want to fulfill your orders. And when I thought about that, I felt a bit better; I thought that I could maybe forgive you."

At the sound of the word "forgive", Atoli's eyes lit up and she looked stunned.

"But then I thought that that wasn't really fair to me. I can't really just forgive you and forget about what you tried to do to me. You almost killed me, Atoli. I can't just turn a blind eye to that."

She looked at the floor, her hope crushed.

"So, I want to make you a deal."

She looked back up at him. "A… deal…?"

"Yes, a deal. I'll forgive you for what you did, and we can still be friends. But you have to agree to a few conditions."

"Conditions…? What are they?"

"You can't think of yourself as my "servant"." He practically spat out the word. "And also, you can't call me "Master Haseo". Is that fair?"

"If I may ask, why not?" Atoli asked quietly. "It seems like all of those conditions would be taking away from you…"

"You're wrong."

Atoli was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I hate the idea of "servants" and "masters". As far as I'm concerned, you and I are friends. Nothing is going to change that." He tapped his foot. "Well, I'm waiting. Will you accept the terms?"

Atoli looked stunned. She then seemed to come to her senses, and nodded vehemently. "Yes, Haseo! I accept the terms!" She then sprang forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. "Thank you! Thank you, Haseo…!!!" Tears of joy streamed down her face. Haseo blushed, but didn't pull away. He wasn't going to be overly-protective of his personal space when the thing that she needed most at the moment was comfort. After a few seconds, he pulled away, and she blushed apologetically. They sat in silence for a few moments, and then a knock came at the door.

"Master Haseo?" Sakaki's voice came through the door. "I can't seem to find Atoli. You haven't seen her, have you?"

"You can come in, Sakaki." Haseo replied. "She's in here."

The door burst open and Sakaki entered. He seemed shocked to see them together, and he seemed equally surprised to see that Atoli was smiling happily. He simply stared at the two of them for a moment, and then shook his head.

"The two of you are perfectly fit. You are free to leave tomorrow morning, if you so choose. Haseo, Atoli, your mirrors."

He held out two bundles of cloth. One was black and red, the other was light blue and light green. Haseo reached out and took the black and red one, and Atoli took the other. Atoli stood up and excused herself, saying that she and Innis had a lot to talk about. Sakaki followed her out, and they shut the door.

Haseo sat on his bed and carefully unfolded the cloth. He stared happily at the little mirror that allowed him to communicate with the other half of his mind. Its shiny black surface that seemed to perfectly reflect his face, and the beautiful red gems that were set in it. It had been destiny that had brought him to that mirror that had thrust him into these foreign worlds.

Or had it?

Now that he thought about it, wasn't it odd? That the old man would have this very mirror in the basket of random pocket mirrors that he handed out to the class? Why was it there? Did the old man find it by accident? Or was there something else going on?

Was Old-Chan involved somehow?

He picked up the mirror and felt the familiar rush of warmth. It suffused his body and made him feel complete. He closed his eyes and was enjoying the feeling, when a loud voice interrupted him.

_YEAAAAH!! FINALLY!!! _Skeith shouted, his excitement at being able to talk to Haseo bubbling over. He then settled down and spoke normally. _It feels like it's been __**forever!!!**__ And I can tell that your leg and arm are all nicely patched up. Sakaki sure can do his job, I'll give him that. And plus, we're stronger now! Everyone wins!_

"_No kidding, Skeith." _Haseo replied, equally happy. _"How are you doing?"_

_Not bad, kid. Not bad. I was pretty lonely, though. I do understand why Sakaki would say you couldn't have the mirror, but come on! I get really lonely! _Haseo knew that if Skeith had a body, he would be pouting right then. He laughed at the mental image. _What's so funny, kid?_

"_Nothing. I just didn't think you were the type to mope. I missed you too, by the way."_ Haseo said happily.

_So, what are you going to do?_

"_Huh? What do you mean?"_

_Atoli._

"_What about her?"_

_Oh, come on, kid! You talk big, but it doesn't change the fact that she's your servant. You may make her think that she's not, and you may treat her like she's not, but it doesn't change anything. You still hold power over her, even if you don't want to. All you have to do is barely touch her and say her real name, and she's powerless to resist your will. I know you find it exciting; don't deny it, I can see your thoughts. _

"_And for that very reason I'm not going to treat her like a servant."_

_What?_

"_Atoli's last master was horrible to her. Ovan treated her like less than dirt. I only saw them interact once, and that was the impression I got. That's why I don't want to treat her like a servant. I don't want to become something like Ovan; I don't want to be someone who abuses their power and position at the expense of others."_

_Heh, that's a laugh._

"_Why do you say that?"_

_Because it's in our nature. We are the Terror of Death!__ We kill, and find joy in killing! That is who we are! Did you not feel the rush of battle when you battled the Mirage of Deceit? I know you felt it. The feeling of euphoria that comes when you are so clearly superior to your opponent. When you brought your scythe down upon Innis, I know you felt excited, ready to kill, prepared to stain your hands with the blood of another purely for the rush it gives you-_

"_Just stop!!" _Haseo interrupted abruptly.

…_?_

"_I'm not some kind of sadistic mass murderer! Don't talk like that!"_

…_Heh. Deny your nature all you want. It will become apparent in time._

"…"

_There's something else I wish to discuss with you, kid._

"_What is it?" _Haseo asked.

_Shino._

"_Shino?"_

_Yes._

"_What about Shino?"_

_Her alliance may have changed, but her loyalties have not._

"_What are you talking about, Skeith?"_

_She has part of the power of the Mirage of Deceit. Haven't I told you this before? When you Data Drained the Avatar of the Mirage of Deceit, you not only conscripted Atoli into our service, you also obtained power over Shino._

"_What!? Shino's trapped in this too!?"_

_Yes. Does this not raise a rather straightforward question?_

Haseo thought for a moment. _"Yeah. __**"What role does she play in all of this?"**__ It would be hard to imagine that if she knew about her true nature, it stands to follow that she has some hand in all of these events."_

_Exactly._

* * *

Shino smiled.

They should be ready to leave the sanctuary any day now.

The plan would proceed.

All they had to do was bide their time and the pieces would fall into place on their own.

"I'll serve you to the best of my ability, Master Ovan…" She said quietly.

Ovan turned and beheld his only ally. "It would seem that the next victims of his forgotten rage have been decided."

"The Temptress and the Machinator?"

"… Why, yes… That's absolutely correct."

* * *

Heeheheheheheheheeehehehhehe. Spoilers for next chapter are wonderful.

As you can clearly guess, En-sama and his creepy stalker make their appearances in the next chapter! I'm sure all of you Endrance fans are just swooning out there, so I'll try to do him some justice.

The massive delay was mostly due to lack of time, a working computer, and motivation. I will more than likely have more time to write now, though, (Yay for getting out of a math class!) and I have a new laptop, and plenty of motivation again. So, hopefully I'll be able to update more often than I have been, because I really want to keep this story going. (People! REVIEWS!!! I NEED REVIEWS!!! They are my motivation! If I don't feel like I have support, I will take longer to write!! I'm sorry, but that's how it is, people.)

Again, I'm sorry for the delay, and there should be more action coming soon!


	7. An Encore of Exploration

... I'm terrible. I know. I made you guys wait for six months. That's SIX FREAKING MONTHS. I'm so sorry...

This chapter was a pain. I kept having to rewrite and rewrite parts of it over and over and over and over again and it never seemed to sound right. But it sounds right now, so here it is! XD

Thank you all for being so patient with me, and now on with the show! X3

_

* * *

_

_Light fell softly from an unknown source, illuminating the blank white space. Three figures were present, one blinking his eyes in confusion, one holding the first's hand like an older brother, and another keeling over in obvious pain. The third, a woman-like being, was emitting a powerful glow, shaking under the burden of some unknown force. It seemed to wrack her entire frame, causing her immeasurable amounts of pain. The little one turned to the bigger one, utterly confused._

"_What's happening to Mommy?" He asked, tilting his head. __The older brother__ remained silent, his eyes fixed on the woman. She was clearly in pain, he knew, but he also wondered if this was what she had had to go through for them. He wanted to comfort her, but he also knew that while she was in this state, he couldn't touch her. He avoided the little one's gaze, even though the question tugged at him. "Big Brother, what's going on? Am I really going to have a little sister?" He asked again. He sighed, knowing that the little one's curiosity was insatiable. Without turning his head away from the woman, he spoke to the little boy._

"_Not exactly. She'll be like us, but she won't be related to us. Mommy's going through a lot of pain right now, but she'll be better soon. Then you'll have another friend to play with. Won't that be fun?" He couldn't bring himself to tell the little boy that what the woman, "Mommy", was trying could fail. He watched as the light intensified, and she arched her back and screamed. He flinched, and could feel the little boy cringing. It was almost unbearable to watch her._

_The light grew blinding, and the two of them shielded their eyes. When the light became bearable, the both looked to see that "Mommy" was standing in front of them. She was panting slightly, and seemed a little worse for wear. The light hovered above their heads, and after a few seconds, turned a bright blue-green. It descended, and from within the light, the outline of a figure could be made out. The light dimmed, and the figure split. A little girl fell down, along with a larger, female figure. A third figure fell from the light, holding what looked like a staff. But along with them, a second little girl split away from the light, descending slowly through the air. _

_The woman's eyes widened, and she walked to the three that had just descended. The first of them, the little black-haired girl, teetered slightly on her knees before collapsing. The second, the female figure, the Epitaph, sank down and sat on her knees, still dazed. The third was the Protector, a blonde girl with little wings, wearing a small green dress and a white beret, holding a long staff. She teetered, but remained upright. But when the woman stood in front of the fourth, a little blonde girl almost identical in features to the first, anger flared across her face, and she picked the girl up by her neck in a vice-like grip._

"_You…" She seethed, "… are nothing but a mistake! An error!" She threw the little girl against the wall with nearly lethal force. A little squeak escaped the girl as she slammed against the wall, and she slid down, landing on her knees, which collapsed underneath her weight. She fell sideways, panting. The woman lifted her foot to crush the little girl, but the little boy broke away from his Epitaph's grip, and ran to the woman, wrapping his little arms around her leg. Tears spilled from his face as he realized what she was going to do. Begging, he beseeched his mother._

"_Please, Mommy! You can't kill her! Please don't!" He cried, choking on tears._

"_She is only a mistake, darling," She said, staring down at the little girl with murderous intent. "Mistakes must be erased."_

"_Mommy, no! You can't! She's my…" He broke down, collapsed onto the floor, sobbing. "She's__ my__…"_

_The woman lowered her leg and looked at the little boy, her firstborn. It pained her so to see him in pain. She lowered down to his level, and looked him in the eye. His red eyes were __over__flowing with tears, staining his face. Morganna ran a hand through his pale white hair, and tried to calm him._

"_Now, now, darling… My dearest Ryou… What is she to you, my darling Haseo? What could this little mistake mean to you?"_

"_She's…" Ryou said quietly. "… She's my sister__."_

Chapter Seven: An Encore of Exploration

* * *

Haseo awoke with tears in his eyes. They were a bit of a shock, and they caused him to wonder why they were there. It was then that he remembered the dream he had just had, and only after that did the tears not seem so mysterious. In fact, fresh tears broke out as he realized what the dream meant.

"_That wasn't a dream… that was a memory."_

"_Morganna… was going to kill Shino."_

_That's right, kid._

"_Huh?" _Haseo hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep while talking to Skeith. The mirror was held tightly in his right hand.

_Morganna thought that Shino was nothing more than a mistake. Because you and I were a complete and perfect success, she was expecting nothing less than perfection when she created Atoli and the Mirage of Deceit. Heh, I can tell that doesn't make you very happy with "Mommy" at all._

"_No, it doesn't!"_ Haseo responded angrily. _"I can't believe she would do something like that! Why would she create something, something __**human**__, no less, and think that it's alright to destroy it just because it's a "mistake"!? Shino's not a mistake! She's a kind, gentle, caring human being!"_

_You're forgetting something, kid._

"_What?"_

_Morganna is a goddess._

"…"

_Before she created us, she was all alone. She created us because she wanted children but couldn't have them. So, she divided her power among us, and created us to be her "children". We were her first creations. She put so much time, effort, and power into creating us, and we were exactly as she had planned, for the most part._

"_For the most part?" _Haseo asked.

_I'm fairly sure she wasn't expecting the Fatal Flaw. But, I suppose that it can't be helped. Nothing in these worlds is perfect. Anyways, she soon began to long for more children, and then created Atoli and Innis. However, something went wrong in the process, and Shino was created. Morganna, who was expecting perfection and didn't know mercy, was infuriated with her own mistake and was going to "erase" Shino, until you intervened. Morganna may be a goddess, but even she is not perfect._

"… _I… see…" _Haseo was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge that had come forth from one memory. _"So, this is the memory that I regained by Data Draining Innis?"_

_Yes. Because you Data Drained the Mirage of Deceit, you regained a memory pertaining to her._

"_So, if I want to remember everything about myself…"_

… _We have to Data Drain the other Epitaphs._

"_Yeah."_

Haseo sighed and set the mirror on the small table next to his bedside. He needed some time to be alone with his thoughts and sort out all of the new information he had just acquired. He sat on the edge of his bed, and tried to put some order to the carousel of thoughts spinning around and around in his head.

"_So, Skeith and I were created by Morganna because she wanted children. That means that Skeith and I are the __**eldest**__. Atoli, Shino, Innis, and the rest of the Epitaph Users came after us, so that means they're all my __**younger siblings**__."_

"_I wonder what my other siblings are like, besides Atoli, Shino, and Ovan. What kind of people are they? What kind of worlds do they live in? Are they really trying to enslave me, like Sakaki said? Why? Why are we at war? Do they even know? Is there even a reason?"_

Haseo stood up and pulled on the white shirt Sakaki had given him. He had taken it off last night before getting in bed because he had felt slightly feverish. He was fine now, but he had made a commitment to ask Sakaki in the morning to make sure that he was, in fact, fine. That would be a good opportunity to ask Sakaki more questions.

He picked up the mirror, felt the familiar rush of warmth, and placed it in his pocket with his hand still on it. He might as well talk to Skeith on his way to see Sakaki, and holding the mirror made his now almost constant feelings of anxiety much lesser. Feeling a little bit better, he made for the door to the hallway.

He was just closing the door to his room, when a voice called his attention down the hallway.

"Good morning, Haseo!"

He turned, and saw Atoli walking towards him, looking cheerful. He smiled, and returned the greeting. Asking where she was going, he learned that she, too, was going to see Sakaki, to thank him for his hospitality. Walking together, they walked leisurely through the stark white hallways until they reached the door to the outside of the Healing Ward. Haseo had learned, upon investigation, that Sakaki's world was very small; it was simply a floating island in an empty void, with merely two buildings on it. The first was the Healing Ward, where Haseo and Atoli had stayed.

The second was a building that looked to Haseo like a traditional Japanese-style home. It was a beautiful building, and separating the two was an amazing garden. It was large, with many paths leading to the same destination. Some took visitors through walkways filled with beautiful exotic flowers, in all sorts of shades of every color of the rainbow; others wound around and through an enormous pond that was filled with what looked like giant blue water lilies (Sakaki had called them Hermes Lilies, because he used them for a variety of his medicines). The flowers and plants all took care of themselves, so Sakaki could focus more on his duties than tending to the flowers.

They walked slowly through the garden, admiring the flowers, talking about various things, and enjoying each other's company. Before long, they reached the other building, which Haseo referred to as Sakaki's house. Atoli called out for Sakaki, and the two waited patiently for him to come. Finally, the young healer appeared, pulling aside the sliding screen door.

"Ah, Terror of Death, Mirage of Deceit, it is good to see you looking so well. Have you come to tell me that you will be departing soon? I will sorely miss your company, you know. It is so rarely that I get visitors, after all." He sat down in front of them, smiling. He seemed pleased that his medicines had worked so well, and that the two of them were so healthy again.

"I came to ask you a question, actually, Sakaki." Haseo said, before Atoli could begin. "I felt a bit feverish last night, but I feel fine this morning. I just wanted to have you check and make sure that I'm really alright."

"And I," Atoli said, "would like to thank you for your hospitality." She bowed humbly.

"You are too kind, Mirage of Deceit." Sakaki said calmly. "It was only my duty to give you a safe haven in which you could heal your injuries. Now, then, Terror of Death, you were saying that you were stricken with a fever last night?"

"Yes."

"You needn't worry. It was merely a warning sign that part of the veil over your memory was lifting. It is nothing to be concerned about."

"Oh… I see." Haseo said quietly. "Thank you for everything you've done for us, Sakaki."

"The pleasure is mine, Terror of Death."

It was after that conversation that Haseo and Atoli prepared to depart. Atoli agreed to let Haseo open the door to the Realm of Infinite Staircases, and so the two selected a quiet place in the garden to open the door. Haseo took the mirror out from his pocket and held it to his lips.

"_Ryou…"_ He said quietly. He then opened the mirror and light flooded out of it, solidifying into a doorway. The two Epitaph Users quickly left through the door, which closed behind them. Sakaki stepped out of a nearby flowering bush, and shook his head solemnly.

"… I do not envy you, Terror of Death. Your fate is one that I would wish on no other man. If I could prevent the pain that you will be inflicted with, I would in a heartbeat… Sadly, there is no medicine to numb the heart. One must only pray that the heart is strong enough to withstand the pressure without breaking. Terror of Death, Mirage of Deceit… I bid you farewell, for now…"

* * *

Kuhn sat edgily in the antechamber of the Serpent of Lore. He was waiting for his Master, Pi, to finish speaking with Yata about their plans for Haseo. There wasn't much to do while he waited, and so he carefully examined the room. It was a large room with a high, vaulted ceiling. Blue lines of light traced patterns into the walls, but in his current state, he couldn't tell. He looked at the floor. What was supposed to be a richly colored rug was merely shades of gray.

Kuhn despised his Fatal Flaw. The flaw that robbed his world of color. When he had first awakened and assumed his true form, he had been blown away by the myriad of colors that he had never seen before. Reds, blues, greens, gold, silver, yellow, orange, purple… He had always thought his world was missing something, and once he found out what, he resented being in his original form. Colors fascinated him.

Of course, like everything else in the world, his ability to see color came with a price.

Before he had ever awakened, he had been forced into service. Pi was the one who had awakened him. She had appeared before him and attacked him, easily defeating him with her Avatar. It was after that that he had obtained his medium and the ability to assume his true form. Because he had never been able to freely use his power, whenever he could see color, he was always being forced to do something by his Master.

At that instant, that very same Master entered the antechamber, looking pleased. Kuhn quickly stood up and bowed, for he feared that Pi would hurt him if he did not show her the proper respect.

"Thank you, Kuhn. You can stand up." She said with an uncharacteristically happy tone in her voice. "We've ascertained that Haseo is out of recovery. The plan can move into the next phase."

Kuhn stood up. "Already? Didn't he lose an arm _and_ a leg? Wouldn't it take longer to recover?" He was utterly confused.

"I suppose the lesson here is to never underestimate Sakaki." Pi said, trying to maintain a calm demeanor, but her delight couldn't be more obvious even if she was wearing a bright neon sign around her neck. "More to the point, are you prepared for the next phase of the plan?"

"Yeah, yeah." He said nonchalantly, and then winced reflexively, expecting a fierce blow to rain down upon him. Pi _never_ appreciated it when he spoke to her disrespectfully, and she always punished him physically when he did. But no blow came, and Kuhn was even more surprised. His Master had never been in a good enough mood to not punish him for disrespect. However, she seemed to ignore his blasé remark and continued chattering happily about the details of the plan.

Kuhn instantly decided that he liked this side of his Master better.

Much better.

* * *

Haseo and Atoli had arrived at the great landing of the Realm of Infinite Staircases. The staircase that they had just descended had vanished behind them, leaving just the eight staircases to the eight worlds of the Epitaph Users and the Insignia of Morganna. Atoli walked to her staircase and looked down, sighing heavily. Haseo walked up to her and patted her on the shoulder.

"What's wrong, Atoli?" He asked, concerned.

"Well, it's just…" Atoli began, but looked away sheepishly.

"What, Atoli? What do you need?" Haseo pressed, hoping to get a straightforward answer.

"I was just thinking about my world and everything that happened. I know it is kind of a burden, and I know you want to explore, but… Could we visit my world for just a little bit? I just want to make sure that Shino's okay…"

Haseo considered it for a moment. He really wanted to explore other worlds, but he understood Atoli's concern.

"I don't see why not, Atoli. But let's make it quick, okay?" He consented.

"Oh, thank you, Haseo!" She said, wrapping her arms around him in a quick hug before taking off like a shot up the stairs. Haseo ran to keep up with her, and the two arrived at the top of the staircase in less than a minute. Shielding his eyes from the light, Haseo walked through the door to Atoli's world.

What awaited him was absolutely nothing.

No village. No people. No forest or well. Nothing. It was as if it had all vanished without a trace. He looked around himself on all sides and saw nothing but an empty field. The village he had spent three weeks of his life in had disappeared like it hadn't even been there in the first place.

"… What is this? What's going on?" He asked, walking up behind Chigusa, who was hanging her head, battling back tears. "Where is everything?"

"… Haseo… I…" Chigusa sobbed. "I'm… so… sorry… I had… forgotten that I…"

"What's wrong?" Haseo asked, his irritation growing. "Answer me, Chigusa!"

"I… created them all… with my power…" She mumbled weakly.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Master Ovan… ordered me to create a place… a place that you would feel at home… a place where I could gain your trust…" She looked genuinely remorseful, and after seeing the truly pitiful look in her eyes Haseo found that he couldn't bring himself to get mad at her. He stood next to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"That's all in the past, Atoli."

She sniffled and looked up at him.

"I'm not going to hold you accountable for what Ovan made you do. I can tell that you really regret what you did, so I'm not going to hold it against you."

She smiled weakly.

"Thank you, Haseo."

The two of them were about to walk back through the door, when Atoli suddenly stopped. Haseo heard her stop, and turned around. She had a shocked expression on her face.

"What is it, Atoli?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

She then said something that caused Haseo to share her shocked expression.

"Where's Shino?"

* * *

Shino sat quietly, gazing out of the blinds of her window into the empty street. The view was incredible, and the city itself was amazing. Massive buildings, spiraling towers, and richly decorated monuments dotted the street in front of her, the horizon line, and everything in between. She had wished for so long to be able to see another world. She had finally gotten her wish.

But now, she was completely and utterly alone.

She turned away from the window and surveyed the room she had been given. It was small, with a bed with white sheets and a purple quilt, an empty desk, a bookshelf with various books in a language she couldn't understand, and the single chair that she was sitting in. She had been frightened when she first saw it, because it only had three legs. It shouldn't have been able to support her, yet she sat down in it and did not fall.

There was also a single picture on the wall. She hadn't really looked at it, but now it piqued her interest. She stood up and walked over to the edge of her bed, and looked carefully at the picture. It was something that she remembered that Haseo had described as a "photograph".

"_Well, a photograph is kind of like… well… think of it as capturing a single instant in time so that you can look back on it as many times as you want. I don't know all of the details of how a photograph is taken, but a lot of people like to take photos as a hobby, and others put all of their photos in something called a "photo album". They keep photo albums so that they can look back on their lives and remember all of the things they wouldn't have remembered otherwise."_

Shino gazed at the photograph curiously. She thought she recognized one of the people in the photo, but the other, a little girl, was a complete stranger to her. The two looked almost like siblings, and the first one, a tall man, was kneeling next to the girl with his arm around her shoulder. They were both smiling happily.

She didn't have much more time to study the picture, because behind her, the door opened slowly. She turned around and smiled.

"Welcome back, Master."

* * *

The two of them stood once again on the intricately decorated landing of the Realm of Infinite Staircases. Atoli had dried her tears and tried to put aside her worries about Shino. The two were then debating which staircase they should explore next.

"… not that one… please?" Atoli said pleadingly.

"Why not?" Haseo asked, puzzled. He was standing in front of the staircase with an insignia that looked like a blue fan with five blades.

"That's Master Ovan's world…" She said, looking down and away.

Haseo understood. She still hadn't recovered. The emotional shock of being Ovan's servant was still weighing heavily on her. He conceded not to go up that staircase and then made a mental promise to not go up until either there was a clear and pressing need, or he was sure that Atoli had mentally healed.

"So, which do you want to go up?" He asked her. She bit her thumbnail and thought for a moment, observing the several staircases. She then perked up and walked up to one with a pattern that looked like an interlocking sun-moon pattern, with a pink sun and a blue moon.

"This one!" She said, turning around. "Let's go, Haseo!" She then proceeded to run up the staircase.

"H-hey! Slow down, Atoli!" Haseo said, running after her. "Wait up!"

_She sure likes to run up staircases._ Skeith's voice echoed in his head with an air of bemusement.

"_She's excited, alright."_ Haseo agreed.

Within a minute, they had reached the sunlight at the top of the staircase. Shielding his eyes once again, he entered a new world.

* * *

"So they're coming, right?"

"_Yup. For sure."_

"I wonder what they'll be like…"

"_Who cares? This is just one more chance to prove ourselves."_

"Well… This will be the first time we'll see another sibling besides Master…"

"_What's your point?"_

"I kind of wanted to get to know them a little… since Master doesn't really care that much…"

"_Of course Master cares!!"_

"S-Sak-"

"_Listen up, little brother. If Master were to find out that you were making friends with the enemy, what would he say!? He would think that the three of us are disloyal! Isn't that right!?"_

_That's true._

"I'm… I'm sorry… Saku… Gorre…"

* * *

When the light had faded, Haseo found Atoli and himself standing in what looked like an alleyway. There was a solid wall behind him, and buildings on both sides. They were made out of a brick-like material and rose higher than most buildings in Haseo's world. Slightly startled, Haseo and Atoli cautiously walked out to the entrance of the alleyway to see what kind of world they were in.

The first thing that Haseo concluded about the new world was that it was nothing like his.

The place they had entered looked like a city, like his world had; however, it was so different that it was hard for him to grasp what he was seeing. The streets looked like something you would see in the pages of a fantasy visual novel. The buildings were like soaring structures, with strange designs. The streetlights were tall and crooked, with flower-like bulbs. Strange vehicles that looked like some sort of fantasy spin-off of a Volkswagen Beetle crowded the streets, and Haseo nearly passed out as he saw a train flying through the air on bat-like wings far in the distance.

The sidewalks were crammed with people, all dressed in strange, fantasy style clothing. The men and women all wore strange robes of many different colors, and some women wore strange hats as well. Little girls ran around in short, brightly colored dresses, and little boys walked around in strangely designed shirts and tunics.

Haseo was entranced by this, until he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned and saw Atoli, who had grabbed his arm and was now trying to pull him back into the alleyway. Once they were far enough away from the entrance, Atoli got close to him and spoke. The tone of concern in her voice wasn't very well hidden.

"Um… Haseo? I was kind of afraid something like this would happen…" She began.

"Something like what, Atoli?" Haseo asked, confused. "What's bothering you?"

"I'm pretty sure you've noticed what everyone's wearing out there…" Atoli continued. "And, Haseo, if we go out there, we'll stick out like a sore thumb."

"… Oh." Was his reply. He hadn't even considered it. "Right. So, what do we do?"

"Umm…" Atoli bit her thumbnail and looked to be deep in thought. "Well, I can always use my power to make us not stand out, but…"

"… But…?" Haseo eyed her suspiciously as she let the sentence trail off. "But what, Atoli?"

"Well, I need your permission to use my power, now, Haseo." Atoli said sadly. "It's one of those "Master-Servant" relationship things."

"… Oh," was Haseo's only reply. "Well, how do I do that?"

"Umm… Well… First you have to take my hand." Atoli said uncomfortably, squirming a bit as she held out her hand.

Haseo raised one eyebrow and took her hand wearily. _"If this is what it's like to be someone's master, then I'm never fighting an avatar again,"_ He thought.

_Well, then, you'd better be ready for a life of servitude, then, kid._

Angrily, he pulled his other hand out of his pocket. He had to get out of that habit.

"Okay, what now?" Haseo asked impatiently.

"Umm… well, when Master Ovan gave me permission… he held my hand and basically said "I give you permission to wield your power" or something like that. Although…" She looked down at the ground. "… When Master Ovan did it, he gave me a set of restrictions. I could only use my power if I stayed within those restrictions. It was kind of hard for us…"

Haseo looked at her, thought for a moment, and then closed his eyes. Somehow, almost instinctually, he tapped his authority as a Master and said; "I grant you permission to use your power…"

Atoli cringed as he let the sentence trail off, as if he was going to add something else.

"… freely and unconditionally."

Haseo then let go of her hand, and opened his eyes to see her staring at him dumbstruck. "I told you," He said, grinning. "I don't like the whole "Master-Servant" relationship. And because of that, I'm going to find as many loopholes as I can." He watched as Atoli's dumbstruck expression turned to a huge smile, and Haseo got a warm feeling in his chest when he realized that he had just made her happier than she had probably ever been in her whole life.

"Thank you…! Thank you, Haseo!" She sprang forward and wrapped him in a huge hug, squeezing him tightly. Although it was slightly uncomfortable, Haseo didn't pull away, knowing that if he wanted her to heal emotionally, he was going to have to be more considerate of her feelings.

After a few seconds, Atoli pulled away and pumped her fists in the air. "Alright! Now we can blend in with the crowd!" She then crossed her hands in front of her chest and muttered a few words. Haseo felt a tingling sensation start from his toes and travel all the way through his body. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was enough to make him shiver. When it had stopped, Atoli raced out of the alleyway and darted out of sight.

"H-Hey! Atoli! Wait up!" Haseo shouted after her, slightly startled by her sudden enthusiasm. Dashing after her, he rounded the corner and almost got carried away by the sudden crush of bodies around him. Haseo was relieved and slightly shocked to discover that Atoli's power seemed to be working; nobody gave him a second glance. It was a bit odd to him, since he had been so used to standing out wherever he went. His bright red eyes and shaggy white hair had always grabbed attention.

But not now, not as he chased Atoli down the crowded sidewalk. Not a single head turned. It was almost a nice feeling to Haseo. Unfortunately, he was so preoccupied with the fact that he was blending in that he didn't notice that Atoli had stopped in front of a small shop. By the time that he noticed, she was right in front of him, and he crashed into her at full speed. The two of them collided with the ground in a tangled heap.

Breathlessly, Haseo asked; "Atoli, are you okay?"

"Yes…" Atoli responded weakly. She had gotten the wind knocked out of her too. As the two of them struggled to pick themselves up, Haseo heard a small, shaky voice from somewhere above him.

"Um… are you two… okay…?"

Haseo and Atoli both looked up to discover a boy, probably about ten or eleven years old, standing by them. He was short and thin, with a mop of black hair and wide blue eyes. He was dressed in a dark blue tunic with black leggings and leather shoes. He looked down at the two of them with innocent curiosity and then offered out a hand to help them up.

"Y-yeah, we're fine." Haseo said nervously, finally untangling himself from Atoli, and then helping her up. "I just wasn't looking where I was going, is all. And you are…?" Haseo raised one eyebrow at the boy.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't introduce myself! My name's Iori, but you can call me Bo. It's nice to meet you both!" Bo said, smiling so widely that Haseo was sure the corners of his mouth would reach his ears. "What are your names?"

"Oh, I'm Atoli!" Atoli said, bending down onto one knee to meet Bo at eye level. "It's nice to meet you too!"

"I'm Haseo." Haseo commented bluntly. "Nice to meet you."

"Great!" Iori cried happily. "Would you like me to show you guys around? I was looking for my sister, but you seem like you're new around here, and I don't want you to get lost…"

"Uh…" Haseo was hesitant to let someone they had only just met, not to mention who was probably too young to be wandering around on his own lead them around, but before he could voice dissent, Atoli agreed.

"Sure! Lead the way, Bo! Let's go, Haseo!" She then grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him cursing behind her. For the next hour and a half, Bo showed them the basic layout of the city, including where to shop for clothes, books, and other odds and ends. Finally, Haseo voiced his concern that Atoli hadn't eaten for a while and that they should probably stop at a restaurant.

"Oh! Are you hungry, Big Sister Atoli?" Bo asked, looking a little worried.

"Um…" Atoli blushed brightly and nodded. "A little."

"Okay, there's a little restaurant that my sister and I always go to just around the corner! Come on, Big Brother Haseo! Let's go!" Bo had apparently taken such a liking to the two of them that they had become secondary siblings to him. Haseo led Atoli, who was looking a little tired, through the crowd and over to a restaurant. The three of them sat at a small table, and before Bo asked them what they felt like eating, he informed them that he would pay. Haseo and Atoli couldn't really argue with him, since they had no money, and came to an unvoiced consensus that whatever they got should be cheap. Bo then asked what the two of them were hungry for.

"Something sweet," Atoli said before Haseo could voice that he wasn't hungry. "And Haseo and I can share." She looked at him with a sickly sweet smile on her face, and Haseo couldn't help feeling annoyed. There wasn't much he could do about it, since that was the easiest way to make sure they put Bo out of as little money as possible.

"Okay, Big Sister Atoli, I think you want something like this…" Bo pointed to a picture on the menu. Haseo couldn't see it, much to his chagrin, and was beginning to regret his decision of taking Atoli with him. However, there wasn't much he could do about it now, and a few minutes after Bo placed the order with a frighteningly skinny waitress, something that looked like a large ice cream sundae was placed on their table. Atoli picked up a spoon and hesitantly took a bite.

"Wow…! That's really good!" She said, with the spoon still halfway in her mouth. "Haseo, try some of this!" She picked up another spoon and the two of them sat for about a minute having a spat over whether or not Haseo would try it, until at one point he opened his mouth just a bit too wide and Atoli stuck the spoon in. Suppressing his gag reflex, he pulled the spoon out and stuck his tongue out.

"… You didn't tell me it was _that_ sweet," Haseo commented bitterly.

"Do you not like sweet things, Haseo?" Atoli said cheerfully, trying not to giggle.

"No, I don't." He replied, looking away. The restaurant- it was more like a café, really- was small and quaint; the front counter was small, the waitresses all looked alike, and everyone spoke more quietly than they usually did. The décor was very simple, and it wasn't any wonder that they got a lot of customers.

Haseo stared out the window at the busy street. Hundreds of faces passed him by every second, but he wasn't paying attention to them. He was thinking.

Bo seemed nice enough, but why would he escort two total strangers around for hours on end without any reason at all? And wasn't he trying to find his sister? Looking over at the little boy, he started to get a suspicious feeling in the pit of his stomach. He reached into his pocket and lightly brushed the mirror.

"_Skeith, you there?"_ He asked.

_Where else would I be?_ Came the sarcastic reply.

"_What do you make of all of this?"_ Haseo asked, getting straight to the point.

_He's a good kid, but I don't think you should trust him._

"_Why?"_

_He's giving off some weird kind of vibe._

"_Vibe…? What do you mean?"_

_Hmph. Can't you feel it? It's so obvious._

"_Feel what? What's so-"_

His thought was abruptly cut off by Atoli sticking the spoon into his mouth. Choking, Haseo pulled it out and glared at her angrily.

"What was that for!?" Haseo growled.

"Bo asked you a question, but you were too absorbed in whatever you were thinking about to care. That's very rude, Haseo." Atoli scolded.

"Don't worry about it, Big Brother Haseo," Bo said sweetly. "I'm used to being ignored by my sister. I just wanted to know if you had any siblings. Big Sister Atoli told me she has a twin sister named Shino, so I was just curious."

"_Shino…"_ Haseo couldn't help but wonder where she had gone. Thinking about the question, he realized that he couldn't count that devilish woman's devilish child as his "sister". Turning his attention back to the two of them, he replied bluntly; "I'm an only child."

"Oh, that's cool! I've always wondered what it would be like if I was an only child." Bo said happily. "Is it lonely, Big Brother Haseo?"

Haseo thought about it for a second. Thinking about the time before his father's second marriage, he realized that he hadn't been lonely. He had a loving mother and father, and they had looked after him and made sure that he wasn't lonely. After his father's death, he had been left in the custody of that _woman_, and he had never felt lonelier in his life. He had felt like the whole world was against him, and that he couldn't trust anyone. His "family" had left a wound so deep in his heart that he thought it would never heal.

"Sometimes," Haseo replied.

"Oh, I see…" Bo let his sentence trail off, and then waived to a passing waitress and ordered another sundae for himself. Haseo turned back to the window and tried to think things through.

Suddenly, the realization struck him like a hammer.

If he was a child of Morganna, then his mother and father couldn't possibly be his _real_ mother and father.

He grabbed the mirror.

"_Skeith, they weren't my real parents."_

_Congratulations! Somebody give the kid a medal! It wasn't __**that**__ hard to figure out, was it?_

"_It's just… kind of a shock. I spent most of my life just assuming they were, but it's really true…"_

_Well, you're just going to have to accept the facts, kid. Don't ever feel lonely. You've got me, right? Try not to let it get you down, 'kay? _

"_Alright…" _Haseo let his thought trail off, and then remembered. _"What were you saying about Bo before, Skeith?"_

_Oh. Right. Him._

"_What about him?"_

_You're right to be suspicious of him, kid. He may seem all sweet and naïve, but just under the surface, I can sense two powerful presences._

"…_? Two?"_

_Yeah. Remember how he said he has an older sister?_

"_What about his sister?"_

_She's not his real sister. Well, sort of. She's inside his head. I can tell it's her. It just feels… girly._ Haseo could sense the sarcasm in his avatar's voice. _She probably comes out when he needs protection or something. _

"_So, that's why we didn't run into her while we were walking around…"_

_Exactly. Because she was __**already with us**__. Be careful not to push this kid over the edge, Haseo. Wouldn't want to anger his big sister._

"_Right… Wait. You said there were __**two**__ presences?"_

_Yeah._

"_What's the other presence?"_

…

"_Skeith…? Answer me!"_

… _It's his avatar._

* * *

"_So… you have finally awakened…"_

_Yes._

"_You… were asleep for so long… I was so alone… so…. Afraid…"_

_I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just left you without warning._

"_I… was lonely… You're all I have… left in this world…"_

_I know. I'm so sorry._

"_But… why…? Why did you leave…? You're the only reason I have to live… the only reason I __**can**__ live…"_

_You will never be alone again. I promise you, my Endrance. But…_

"_But…? But what, my dearest Macha…?"_

_I will need… more power._

"_More… power…? How can I…"_

_There is one…_

"_One…? One what…?"_

_One that could sustain my need for power forever. Then I could be with you forever, my Endrance…_

"_Who…!? Who is this being!?"_

_He has only just awakened… Our eldest brother… The Terror of Death._

_

* * *

_

... Okay, so I lied. En-sama's real debut doesn't happen until the next chapter. And you know what that means!

EPIC FIGHT SCENE!!! X3

I'll try not to procrastinate for six months next time... I know you guys like this story and I feel bad about not updating more often. DX

Alright! Next chapter will be up by next Saturday! This is a promise!!! (Of course, if I do promise this, then I need reviews. Pretty please...?)

* * *


	8. An Obbligato of Obsession

OKAY, SO I LIED.

Explaination 1: I couldn't get this chapter up on Saturday because I was trapped in the Desolate Pit of Despair with no Internet. I would have totally gotten it up sooner if it weren't for that. CURSE YOU, RELATIVES!!!

Explaination 2: No epic fight scene this chapter because the chapter itself was already getting really long. It was almost seventeen pages, which is what the long ones usually are, and I had to cut it off right before epic fight scene. Sorry, people! Next chapter will be all battle scene, I promise!

Well, basically this chapter has plot advancement and fluff. Lots of fluff. Yay.

Relax, Read, and Review, please! =D

* * *

"_I will never let you go… my dearest Macha…"_

"_You are… all I have left… in this cruel world…"_

"_Anything you need… of me… I will do without hesitation…"_

"_Even if it means… destroying our elder brother…"_

"_Terror of Death… Haseo… come… so I… can be with Macha…"_

"_Forever…"_

­­­______________________________________________

Chapter 8: An Obbligato of Obsession

______________________________________________

Haseo felt like a very large rock had been dropped into his stomach. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the sweet little boy sitting across from him. Bo didn't look anything out of the ordinary sitting next to Atoli, and yet Skeith had just dropped a bomb on him that had shattered any semblance of trust that he had for the boy.

"_He's an Epitaph User… That makes him my little brother…"_

… _And your enemy._ Skeith added. _Warn Atoli._

"_How? Bo's sitting right there!"_

His avatar made what seemed like a sighing sound. _Hopeless, aren't you? You should be so glad that you have me around. Just touch her hand. It'll open a psychic link between you two, so you can talk directly to her thoughts. And if you're still touching the medium, I can talk to her too. Now hurry it up!_

"_That'll really work...?" _Haseo thought doubtfully. Glancing over at Atoli's hand, which was on the table, he reached over inconspicuously and lightly placed his hand on top of hers. Her hand was surprisingly warm, and the physical contact made him a little bit uncomfortable. Still, there wasn't a way to avoid it, so he tried to choke down his embarrassment. Haseo made sure to keep his eyes averted, but he could feel her jump a bit when he touched her. _"Why so jumpy?"_ Haseo asked sarcastically.

"_H-huh…!? How are you…?" _Atoli's eyes widened. She clearly didn't know this type of communication was possible.

"_Skeith told me about it. He said I need to warn you."_ Haseo responded, getting straight to the point.

"_Warn me…? About what, Haseo?"_

"_Bo is an Epitaph User."_ He replied, deciding it was best to not beat around the bush. _"I don't know how, but Skeith was able to tell."_

"_Hmm… maybe it was because you Data Drained me."_ Atoli speculated.

"… _How does that figure in?" _Haseo asked, not seeing where she was coming from.

"_Well,"_ Atoli started, making sure to keep her eyes averted and still paying attention to Bo. _"maybe our memories aren't the only things with a veil over them. Maybe some of our powers have been locked away, too."_

_That makes sense, kid._ Skeith piped in, causing Atoli to jolt a bit out of shock.

"_W-who was that? Was that Skeith's voice…?" _She asked, not understanding why she could hear Haseo's avatar's voice.

"_Yeah, it was Skeith-"_ Haseo started, but was quickly cut off by Skeith.

_We don't have time for this. You two need to get out of here. Now. Get back to the door and go somewhere else. Bo may not be hostile, per se, but the identities living inside him are. And since it would be best not to get into a fight here, I'd-_

"Big Brother Haseo? Big Sister Atoli?" Bo pulled Haseo's and Atoli's attention back to him, cutting Skeith off. "I'm really sorry, but I just remembered I need to go somewhere. Will you two be alright if I leave?"

"Uh…" Haseo was slightly dumbstruck. Too much was happening all at once. Skeith was getting new powers, Bo was an Epitaph User, and now he was leaving out of the blue. Next thing he knew, he'd be sprouting wings and Atoli would be seeing the future. "Sure thing. We'll be fine around town now. Right, Atoli?"

"Y-yeah. Don't worry about us, Bo." Atoli replied hesitantly. "We shouldn't have been taking up your time like this…"

"No! Don't say that, Big Sister Atoli!" Bo said happily. "I had fun with you two today. Maybe we can hang out like this again sometime! Okay?"

"R-Right…" Atoli wasn't sure how to react or say goodbye, and so the two of them sat in silence as Bo darted out of the café. They sat in silence for a few moments, until Haseo realized that he was still holding Atoli's hand. Unable to contain his embarrassment any longer, he quickly pulled his hand away and blushed. Atoli glanced at him and blushed as well, and the two of them sat through another minute or so of awkward silence.

_______________________________________

Iori dashed quickly through the streets of his city, weaving in and out of crowds of bustling people. It wasn't much of an effort for him to reach his home; a small house crammed between two impossibly tall buildings. Bo was small and fast, so he could dash through crowds without missing a beat. Nobody ever paid attention to him; to them, he was just another one of the hundreds and thousands of children that ran free in the city streets.

If only they knew.

He opened the door quickly and closed it behind him, and for the next thirty minutes or so, began dashing around the house closing all of the curtains, windows, and doors. After making sure that nobody from the outside could see into any of the rooms, he dug into his pocket.

Grasping the pink and blue mirror firmly, he felt the incredible rush of warmth flow through his body, and could feel his sister and avatar stirring inside him. He closed his eyes, and reached out to the vibrant warmth of his sister's consciousness.

"_Saku? Hey, Saku. I know you wanted to go see Master, so I thought I'd let you have a turn."_

"… _Oh, thanks a lot, Bo!"_ His sister's voice echoed in his head, and he could feel her getting closer and closer. _"I'll tell Master that you've found the Terror of Death. That was the Mirage of Deceit with him, wasn't it?"_

"_Yeah, it was… I think."_

"_Oh, you're hopeless, Bo! What do you think, Gorre? Could you tell?"_

_We believe you are right._ The avatar's voice echoed in Iori's head. It always sounded to Bo like Gorre was more than one voice speaking together; one boy's voice and one girl's voice addressing a single entity as two. _That girl was the Mirage of Deceit._

"_Great! Master will have to be glad to hear that!" _Saku's voice was very close, and her consciousness had almost completely enveloped Bo. Bo sighed and released his consciousness's hold on his body, allowing Saku to take his place. Bo felt himself slipping into the back of his own mind as Saku lifted the mirror to open a door.

The light had barely solidified and Saku was off. She was down her staircase in less than a minute and up her Master's staircase in less than a minute. Bursting though the light at the top of the stairs, she found herself right where she wanted to be.

It was a small room, something that looked a lot like the inside of an apartment. It was very quaintly decorated; well, to be more precise, the correct word to portray the décor would be "meager". The walls of the square room were eggshell white; there was a white loveseat, a steel table, and two wooden chairs. It was far from hygienic; wrappers for various packaged foods and empty food cans were scattered everywhere, and it looked like nobody had cleaned the place for weeks.

But Saku didn't care about all of that. What she cared about was the resident of the apartment; the tall, skinny man that had draped himself lethargically on the loveseat. The window was right above him, and the frosted glass cast a white glare on the walls and concealed his face in shadow. Skinny wasn't a proper word to depict him. "Gaunt" fit the man better. His greasy black hair was long; it came down to his shoulders and fell unkemptly across his face.

That was the best word to describe Kaoru Ichinose. Unkempt.

"I've got a great report, Master En!"

_______________________________________

Haseo and Atoli wandered through the city, trying to find the alleyway that they had entered from. They had been looking for about an hour, to no avail. Haseo was letting Atoli lead, since he hadn't been paying much attention during Bo's tour. Finally, after about fifteen more minutes of aimless drifting, Haseo decided to say something.

"Atoli, we're lost, aren't we." Haseo commented bluntly.

"L-lost? No! We're not lost! We're just… um…" Atoli glanced around quickly, as if trying to find a good excuse.

"We're just what, Atoli?" Haseo folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow.

"… taking the scenic route…?" Atoli blushed in embarrassment.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Haseo turned around impatiently, looking at his surroundings. He thought he had seen this part of town before, and was hoping that his uncanny sense of direction would kick in. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember any of the landmarks around the alleyway, and so they were stuck.

"Haseo, let's just find a different alleyway and open a door there," Atoli suggested, still blushing.

"_Oh, duh."_ Why didn't Haseo think of that? The two of them wandered around for about another ten minutes looking for a suitable alleyway without anyone in it, until they finally found one that was perfect. It was slightly narrow, but they managed to find a good shady spot to open the door in.

"Would you like to do the honors, Haseo?" Atoli asked, turning to him.

"Sure, why not." Haseo replied, reaching in his pocket for the mirror. As he touched it, Skeith's presence washed over him, helping to comfort some of his escalating anxiety over recent events. He put the mirror to his lips.

"_Ryou…"_ He whispered, and then turned the mirror away from him and opened it.

Nothing happened.

Literally, nothing happened. No light, no door, nothing. Atoli and Haseo both shot each other quizzical looks, and then Haseo tried again. Still nothing. Atoli pulled out her mirror and tried. Nothing. Haseo tried for a third time with the same result: nothing.

"_Skeith, what's going on?"_ Haseo questioned his avatar. _"Why isn't the door opening?"_

_Isn't it obvious, kid? There's another door open somewhere. It's faint, but I can definitely feel it, now that I'm thinking about it._ Skeith replied curtly.

"_So I can't open a door while another door is open, huh…"_ Haseo scratched the back of his neck, trying to think of a way out. _"Can you pinpoint it?"_

_Not just pinpoint it. I can follow the residual energy of the last person who passed through it. We'll be able to follow that little runt to wherever he was going to go. Neat, huh?_

"_Very." _Haseo commented. He then turned to Atoli and explained to her what Skeith had just explained to him. Atoli nodded and agreed that would probably be a good thing to do. Wherever Bo was going, it was obviously another world, and they needed to know as much about their enemies as possible. If Bo had a Master, then they needed to know who that was.

Gripping the mirror tightly in his pocket, Haseo led Atoli through the streets while listening to Skeith trying to direct them to where the door's energy was coming from. They wound through the crowds of people, none of which noticed them thanks to Atoli, and Skeith would tell Haseo directions and Haseo would tell Atoli. They passed the café that they had eaten at, turned a corner, walked about two blocks, crossed the street, and finally came to a small house crammed between what looked like two skyscrapers.

"_You're sure this is it, Skeith?"_ Haseo asked, doubtfully.

_What? You don't trust me anymore?_ Skeith sounded playfully hurt.

"_Sorry. So, how do we get in…?"_

_I don't know. Try the front door, maybe?_ Skeith offered.

"_Worth a shot, I guess."_ Haseo turned to Atoli. "The door's in here. Why don't you try the front door and I'll go around and find some other entrance."

"Alright…" Atoli walked up the steps, and Haseo turned to go to the window that was next to the door. A few seconds later, Haseo heard Atoli cry; "Hey! It's op… en… ing…" He turned just in time to see Atoli slump over.

"Atoli!? Atoli!" He ran over to her and gathered her unconscious body up into his arms. She was still breathing, which was a good sign. "Atoli! Wake up! Come on, Atoli! Can't you hear me!? Wake up!" Haseo looked around to see what had caused it. The doorknob was glowing slightly.

"_It's a trap…" _Haseo thought, reaching into his pocket. _"Skeith, how do I wake her up?"_

_Use her name._

Haseo's blood ran cold. _"No." _He thought firmly.

_No? Are you sure?_

"_I'm sure."_

_Well, then you'd better be ready for the consequences. That girl's not going to wake up for at __**least**__ another hour. By then, the trail will be long cold. Do you want that?_

"_Argh! Fine! You win,"_ Haseo conceded. He looked down at Atoli's face. She looked so peaceful, yet at the same time pained. He wanted to wake her up, but at the same time, was content to sit and watch her sleep. A thought came to him. _"Let's take her inside first."_

_Whatever, kid._

He pulled his hand out of his pocket and lifted Atoli's body into his arms. He wasn't that strong, but Atoli wasn't that heavy, so it wasn't too difficult. Pushing the door open with his hip, he entered the house. Looking around, he found himself not believing his eyes.

It was bigger on the inside.

From the outside, the house only looked like it had three rooms, at the absolute most. But on the inside, there was not only a huge entry hallway, but a huge staircase that led up to a second floor, and he could see a half open door that had another set of stairs leading downward. In the center of the entry hall, Haseo could see the doorway that they had been searching for. It was floating conspicuously in the very center of the hallway.

Haseo knelt down and set Atoli gently on the floor. Looking at her face again, watching her breathe slowly and steadily, he couldn't help but feel a little twinge in his chest. She really was kind of _cute_… Haseo shook his head to try and clear his thoughts.

"_What am I thinking!? Now's not the time for this! I've got to wake Atoli up!"_ He reprimanded himself. Haseo glanced down at her again, and the twinge persisted.

"_But… she really does look peaceful… Gah, what is wrong with me!? I know what I have to do… but… still. Atoli…"_ He brushed her bangs out of her eyes and ran his fingers through her hair, only to be struck with the bittersweet memory of when they had met for the second time. They had ended up in a position not dissimilar to what they were in now; Atoli was unconscious, and Haseo was trying to wake her up. He remembered running his fingers through her hair then, too. Haseo wasn't sure what had possessed him to do it, he just felt like it was something he should do.

"_I know… I know I need to wake her up. But, why can't I bring myself to do it? It's so simple… I just need to say her name…"_ He shook his head._ "Come on, Haseo. Just say her name. Tell her to wake up."_

He gently placed his hand in her upturned palm and, leaning over her slightly, said quietly; "_Chigusa Kusaka… It's time to wake up now._"

_____________________________

Atoli was floating in darkness. She didn't know where, how, or why, but she was. Her thoughts were a jumble, and she was trying to sort them out desperately.

"_I was turning the doorknob… and… what happened next…?"_ Atoli thought, her eyes still closed.

"_Atoli!? Atoli!" _A voice emanated from a place that Atoli couldn't perceive.

"_That voice… its familiar…"_ Atoli knew it was familiar-sounding, but her mind was just too muddled to remember whose it was.

"_Atoli! Wake up!"_ The voice called again.

"_Oh, yeah… I touched the doorknob and it started glowing. That's it…"_ She tried to open her eyes, but found that she couldn't. _"I must be asleep. That's right…"_

"_Come on, Atoli! Can't you hear me!? Wake up!"_ The voice sounded desperate, and Atoli was just as desperate to remember whose voice it was.

"_Of course I can hear you… but I can't open my eyes… who are you…? Can't you tell me who you are…?"_

Silence followed her thoughts. Then suddenly, she could feel a strong pair of arms lifting her up and carrying her.

"_Where… are you taking me…? Are you trying to help me…? But who…" _She felt herself being gently set down on the ground. _"Please… tell me who you are…"_

Much to her shock, she felt a hand brushing her bangs out of her eyes and running through her hair. It was such a familiar feeling, but where had she felt it before…?

"_Who are you…? Whoever you are… you must care a lot… about… me…"_

Then she heard it as clear as day. It pierced her mind and coursed through her veins like adrenaline, shaking the thick, foggy darkness out of her head.

"_Chigusa Kusaka… it's time to wake up now."_

Atoli opened her eyes to see Haseo leaning over her with a worried expression on his face.

______________________________

"Haseo…?" Atoli looked dazed, confused, and slightly out of it. "Where… am I?"

"We're inside the house," Haseo replied, leaning back. He let out a deep breath and relaxed. She was safe, awake, and none the worse for wear.

Atoli glanced around the hallway in disbelief. "This… is the house? That can't be… It was much smaller than this."

"That's what I thought too. But… it's really the inside of the house." Haseo tried to reassure her.

"But… that's impossible. Are you sure you aren't pulling my leg?" Atoli raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously.

"Why would I pull your leg about something like this?" He answered, but then realized a better response. "_How_ would I pull your leg about something like this?"

"Oh… right." Atoli's cheeks burned red in embarrassment, and Haseo laughed. Atoli glared up at him with a fake pout. "Don't laugh at me!" She cried, which just made Haseo laugh harder. Atoli's expression softened and she too began to laugh. They would have kept laughing, if it weren't for Haseo being pulled back down to reality by a sharp burning sensation from his pocket.

"_Oh, right. We need to get through the door. Sorry, Skeith…"_ Haseo apologized.

_You better be. _Skeith replied flatly.

After helping Atoli stand up- not to mention catching her when she almost fell down again- they walked up to the door. It was floating calmly in the center of the hallway, and Haseo was slightly confused by it.

"_Skeith?"_ He called out for his Avatar.

_What?_ Was the curt reply.

"_So, when this door was opened, why didn't it just close after Bo went through?"_

_Because his doors don't close on their own._

"_What do you mean?"_ Haseo asked, confused.

… _I really don't know, actually. I just know they don't close on their own. Ask Atoli. She might know. Get moving, though._

Haseo was slightly taken aback. Usually, if Skeith didn't know something, he would make some smart aleck comment before admitting that he didn't know. Haseo wondered why he was being so direct with him all of a sudden. Then again, Skeith was in a hurry to track Bo down and find his Master, so maybe he felt that he didn't have time to be sarcastic. Haseo thought that was more probable than anything else.

"Atoli?" Haseo turned to her, but she seemed to be staring off into space. "Atoli, do you know why a door might not close on it's own?"

"Umm…" Atoli seemed to not hear him, but then she seemed to snap to attention. "… Huh? Did you say something, Haseo?" She looked at him inquisitively.

"Why didn't the door close on it's own?" Haseo raised an eyebrow. Atoli wasn't the type to space out.

"Oh… umm…" Atoli began to walk towards the door, appearing deep in thought. "I'm not sure. Where do you think Bo went?" She replied, changing the subject. "Well, I know he went through the door, but where do you think he went after that?"

"His Master's world, probably," Haseo commented dryly. They passed through the door and into the darkness of the Staircase Realm without saying a word.

Suddenly, Haseo felt uneasy.

If they found Bo, they would find his Master. If that happened, who knows what would happen when they realized that Haseo was the Terror of Death. Haseo would have to fight again. He would be forced to attack another avatar, and be forced to use his Data Drain. He would be forced to be the Master of another Epitaph User.

Haseo thought back to when he had used Atoli's name. Yes, it was out of necessity, but it still had left him with a bittersweet feeling that he couldn't quite shake. He felt like he had betrayed Atoli. He felt like he had betrayed himself. He had told Atoli that he didn't like the "Master-Servant" relationship, and yet he hadn't really objected that much to using his authority.

So, then, what if he let Atoli use his real name? Would that make them even? Haseo thought back to his conversation with Sakaki, and remembered that he had told him that once you became someone's Master, they lost the advantage that knowing your real name gave them. Did that mean that Atoli couldn't do anything to him? Or was the advantage just greatly weakened?

All of these questions were flying around in Haseo head as he walked down the staircase next to Atoli. As they reached the landing, he couldn't take it anymore. Turning to Atoli, he finally posed the question.

"Atoli, now that I'm your… "Master", does that mean you can't use my real name at all? Or can use still use it to some extent? I know it sounds kind of random, but it's just been bugging me." Haseo asked.

Atoli turned and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Why do you ask, Haseo…?"

"I told you, it's been bothering me." He replied flatly.

"Umm…" Atoli walked up to him and placed one hand on his shoulder. _"Ryou Misaki… die."_

Haseo felt a faint tingling sensation all throughout his body, but nothing more.

"See?" Atoli looked up at him and smiled. "There's nothing to worry about. I can't do anything to you, really." Haseo sighed, and Atoli turned and looked at the other staircases. "So? Which staircase is it?"

Haseo dug in his pocket and touched the mirror. _"Which one, Skeith?"_

_The one with the rose._

"_What? What do you mean?"_

_The staircase has a rose pattern at the foot of it._

He turned to Atoli and said; "The one with a rose at the foot of it, Skeith says."

"A rose…? Oh, so it's this one?" She walked over to a staircase that had a purple rose insignia. Haseo walked over and stood next to her. It was definitely a rose, and Skeith wasn't saying otherwise, so the two of them began the long ascent to the top. They walked most of the way in silence, with the occasional "watch your step", or "how are you doing?" to break the silence. Finally, when they were about three quarters of the way up the staircase, Atoli broke the tension.

"Haseo? What do you think this world will be like?" She asked, turning to look at him.

"I don't know," He answered honestly. "We'll need to be ready for anything out there, Atoli. We don't know what kind of world it will be, what kind of people will be there, or what this world's Epitaph User will be like."

"Right… I'll do my best, Haseo." Atoli said, and could feel her confidence rising as he spoke. Not even Haseo knew what they were getting into, so she didn't feel so lost.

"… Thanks, Atoli." He looked away like he was embarrassed or something.

"Why are you thanking me? I haven't done anything." She tilted her head in confusion.

"Well, thanks for…" Haseo was having trouble finding the words to match his feelings. He took a deep breath and decided to say what he meant. "… Thanks for being there for me."

"O-Oh…" Atoli blushed. "Y-You're welcome."

By that time, they had almost reached the light at the end of the stairs. Haseo had to squint and shield his eyes again from the harsh light. Atoli reached out and held his wrist to make sure he didn't trip or anything like that. He shrank away from her touch, but she held firm.

"_Why is she doing this?"_ He thought to himself, making sure that Atoli wouldn't be able to pick up on his thoughts. _"She's never done anything like this before…"_

"_I'm here for you, Haseo."_ Atoli's thought flowed into his mind.

"_What…?"_ Haseo was slightly confused. He had been trying to block her out, but she had still managed to communicate with him somehow.

"_Don't you agree that some things are easier to think, rather than say?"_ Atoli smiled and led him through the light.

______________________________________

"Master En, are you _sure_ they're going to come here?" Saku asked worriedly. "What if they wander off somewhere?"

Kaoru didn't reply. The wind was whipping sand in his face as he stood facing the vast desert in front of him. He wasn't paying attention to the wind, the sand, or Saku. He was thinking.

"_When… when will you come, dear brother and sister? Come soon, for once your power belongs to me… Macha will remain with me forever… Won't you come soon, Terror of Death? I haven't felt this… anxious… for a long time…"_

A loud shout interrupted his thoughts.

"Master EN!! Why are you so sure they'll come here!? Don't ignore me, please!" Saku pouted angrily. Kaoru ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the mirror in his pocket, feeling Macha's warmth within him. He closed his eyes and searched with his mind, and felt a strong presence appearing close by. The power was unfamiliar to him, but the emotions were not.

Hate, rage, fury, ruthlessness, and killer instinct, with undertones of sadness, loneliness, and neglect.

"_You've come at last…"_

_­­­­­­­­­­________________________________

Haseo and Atoli looked around the world they had entered. It wasn't anything like what Haseo was expecting, and Atoli hadn't expected anything like this either.

For starters, it was hot.

Not just warm. It was a dry heat. Haseo estimated it was at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Not a breath of wind blew through the streets of what looked like an old ghost town. Although, it didn't look like the type of ghost town that Haseo remembered seeing in old movies about the Wild West. This ghost town looked more modern, with actual paved streets, sidewalks, and streetlamps. There were mostly two story buildings that looked like apartments, with a few shorter buildings spaced in between some of them.

And of course, everything was covered in sand.

Turning and looking behind them, since the door had closed already, the street ended in desert. Vast, rolling dunes that made the horizon look like a rollercoaster. No plants; not even a cactus or tumbleweed. There was no life that they could see, no people, no animals, and no plants. How anyone had survived in this place was a mystery to Haseo and Atoli.

They walked down the street, being careful to avoid the sand, and Atoli tried to strike up a conversation.

"This world… I wonder, what happened to it?" She asked.

"The desert must have expanded and expanded until the people in the city couldn't avoid it anymore. Then the town slowly became a part of the desert, too. And nothing can survive in a desert for very long." Haseo replied, giving Atoli the most logical explanation he could think of.

"Deserts… grow…?" She tilted her head, clearly confused. She had obviously never been to a desert before.

Haseo sighed. "Yeah. They grow. And they consume everything in their path-" Haseo was cut off by a strong gust of wind blowing sand into his face. He coughed, and Atoli immediately was at his side, asking if he was all right. Haseo waved her off and reassured her he was fine, spiting out the last few grains of sand in his mouth.

They continued walking, both being careful to not open their mouths when the wind picked up. Haseo reached into his pocket and brushed the mirror, and an unexpectedly cold sensation rushed through him. Though it caught him off guard, the cold feeling felt wonderful in the blazing heat. Haseo could hear Skeith chuckling in the back of his head.

_Enjoying the heat?_ His avatar asked playfully.

"_Ha ha, you're very funny."_ Haseo replied, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with his free hand. _"Can you tell me where Bo is?"_

_Aww… that's no fun! I thought I'd let you two wander around for a couple of hours and see how you do._ Haseo could clearly feel that Skeith was much happier than he had been only a few minutes ago in Bo's house. _I take it you don't like my idea?_

"_Not really."_

_Aww. Fine. Bo's just around the corner._

"_Great, now we can-"_

_Be careful, though. He's with someone else._

"_His Master?" _Haseo asked.

_Probably. Be ready to fight._

Haseo didn't like the sound of that. He could feel the heat getting to him, and he wasn't sure that he would be able to fight with another Epitaph User in his combat form.

"_All of that black leather would end up being really hot."_

_Don't worry about fighting in your form. Your body temperature regulates because of my power. Don't worry about overheating or dying of heat stroke, okay kid?_

That was news to Haseo. But if it was true, then he was a little less apprehensive about fighting. He turned to Atoli.

"Skeith says that Bo's around the corner with his Master," Haseo informed her. "We need to be careful."

"Okay, Haseo. I understand. I'll make sure that you'll be alright." Atoli looked determined. "Are you ready?"

Haseo paused for a moment. Was he ready? He wasn't sure he would ever be ready for something like this. But right now, he didn't have much of a choice. If he backed down, he'd be betraying himself, Skeith, Innis, _and_ Atoli. He would end up thinking of himself for the rest of his life as a coward.

That was something he couldn't live with.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Haseo replied, trying to sound confident.

They walked out into the middle of the street and turned to face Bo and his Master.

"Wow, Master En!" Bo shouted over a sudden gust of wind. "You were right! They would come here!" Haseo noticed a different tone in his voice. He sounded more feminine than he had while in his world.

"_I guess that must be his sister personality…" _He thought to himself. The man standing next to Bo stepped forward and brushed his hair out of his eyes. He was tall and thin, but was still a powerful presence.

"You… are Haseo?" The man asked, glaring straight at him. "… The Terror of Death?" His voice was soft, but carried well on the wind. His words sounded almost lethargic, as if he didn't speak very often to anyone other than himself.

"So what if I am?" Haseo replied cockily. "And you're Bo's Master, I take it?"

"Indeed…" He replied, glancing lazily down at Bo. "I am the Master of the Machinator, Sakubo... The personality speaking to you now… is Saku. You would do well to remember that…"

"Right…" Haseo looked at Saku, and then back at her Master. "And your name is?"

"Ah… yes… I'm sorry. I am so alone recently that I… forget my manners easily… My name is Kaoru. Kaoru Ichinose, the Epitaph User of the Temptress."

"Temptress…?" Haseo raised an eyebrow. Wasn't Kaoru a guy? "Well, formalities aside, what are you doing here?"

"I… have been waiting for you." Kaoru replied. "For so long… I have waited for you to arrive…"

"Umm… okay?" Haseo turned to Atoli. "Does this make any sense to you, Atoli?"

"Well…" Atoli bit her lip. "Everyone was waiting for you to finally awaken. They all wanted…" She let her sentence trail off, as if she feared she had said too much.

"What did they want, Atoli? Tell me!" He was getting impatient with always feeling like there was something that people weren't telling him.

"We wanted… you, Haseo." Kaoru finished her sentence for her, appearing right behind Haseo, causing him to backpedal slightly. "We wanted your power for ourselves. We… _needed_ your power. I… _need_ your power as my own. I… _need_… _you_…"

Kaoru reached out, making to grab Haseo by the neck. On instinct, Haseo buried his hand into his pocket, whipped out the mirror, and shoved it into Kaoru's hand. Haseo could feel Skeith rushing to the mirror for a split second, and then flooding Kaoru's body with an intense power. Instantly, Kaoru ripped his hand back, screaming in obvious pain. Saku instantly rushed forward, screaming for her Master.

"Master En!? Master En! Are you alright!? Master En!!" She crouched down, trying to help him somehow, but Kaoru merely bit his lip and stood up.

"This pain… is nothing. Nothing… compared to what I shall inflict upon you…" Kaoru reached into his pocket and pulled out a violet colored mirror with red jewels. "Nothing… compared to what I shall do to you…" Kaoru lifted the mirror to his lips. "… As Endrance_…_" He wrenched open the mirror and flooded himself with brilliant violet light, which formed a shell around him.

Haseo was ready for it, however, and had already put his mirror to his lips. He wasn't about to stand around and wait for Kaoru to finish his transformation like he had when Atoli had transformed for the first time. He closed his eyes and let his power swell within him.

"Haseo!" He shouted, pulling open the mirror. The light that washed over him was cold, but he wasn't complaining. He could feel it lifting him off of the ground, swirling around him and whisking his clothes away. Haseo could feel the light, his _power_, snaking around his body and forming his clothes; the tight leather pants, the leather shirt that exposed his shoulders and midriff, the leather gloves that came up to his elbows, the leather boots, the belts that seemed to cover almost every square inch of clothing, the hip guards, the wrist guards, and the tattoos red tattoos that were seared into his stomach, shoulders, and face. He could feel the light darkening his hair and restyling it, making it spiked in the back with long bangs in the front. His favorite part, though, was being able to feel the light strengthening his eyes.

The light around him faded, and he alighted gently back on the street. The mirror once again was absorbed into him, and he could feel Skeith waiting eagerly for the impending fight. He opened his eyes and found that he didn't have to squint at all. He glanced around the street, first noticing Atoli, who had also transformed. She was in her green dress, white beret, and white leggings, her white wings floating gently behind her in the breeze. She had already conjured her golden staff, and looked ready to support Haseo.

He turned back to face Endrance and Saku, both of whom had transformed. Endrance had changed dramatically. His hair, which was once a black, shoulder-length mess, had become a brilliant light blue and was now so long that it reached below his waist and was divided into three separate parts by golden clasps. His eyes were tinted a menacing red, and his bangs covered one eye. He was clad in brilliant purple full-body armor that was accented by golden inlay throughout the entire armor. Around his waist was a bright red sash holding a white ornamental hanging that fell to his ankles. His head was covered by a purple hat with two roses elegantly placed on the left.

That was the word to describe Endrance: Elegant.

Saku was dressed in a midriff exposing top with long, multi-colored sleeves and white gloves. Her skirt was a plaid pattern, and she had striped leggings and white shoes. She also donned a large hat with a sun charm on one end and a moon charm on the other. The sun charm was sticking up, while the moon charm was hanging down. She had summoned a large grimoire, and Haseo made a guess that she was a caster, like Atoli.

Endrance summoned a long, thin black sword out of thin air, and Haseo pulled his gold twin swords out of thin air. For some reason, they seemed stronger as he held them. Haseo guessed that it was because of Atoli's power, which he could feel running through his veins even now.

"Why do you need my power?" Haseo shouted, narrowing his eyes. He might as well try to learn what he could before he had to fight.

"Why…?" Endrance tilted his head back. "Because "She" will have no reason to stay with me should I fail…"

""She"?" Haseo raised one eyebrow. "Who's "She"? What are you talking about!?" He was getting impatient with half-truths and unanswered questions.

"Hmph… it is of no use… you could never understand "her"…" Endrance lowered his sword into a ready position. Haseo gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.

"_Well, fine. If they won't tell me what they want, then I'll just have to rip the answers out of their minds! If fighting will help answer my questions, then I'm not holding back!!"_

_

* * *

_

Oooohhhh, naughty author, leaving the readers at a massive cliffhanger.

Next chapter won't be out for a while, as I have to take a three week hiatus due to personal issues. Believe me, I would soooo much rather sit at home and type my next chapter, but I'm unfortunately bound.

Next chapter: Endrance vs Haseo! Round 1, FIGHT!

Reviews please! It makes me very happy to hear from you all! I know you're probably thinking, "Oh, I'll do it later..." But YOU WON'T! TRUST ME, I SAY THE SAME THING TO MYSELF EVERY TIME!!! PLEASE REVIEW NOW!!! Oh, and huge thank yous to everyone who has sent me reviews in the past! You guys rock!


	9. An Elegy of Elegence

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! (*makes a triumphant return riding a unicycle*) =D

To everyone who reviewed my story since the last chapter, THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU ARE ALL WONDEFUL. Please express the same kindness in this next chapter.

EPIC FIGHT SCENE TIME, GUYS. Just a word of warning, the Point of View can get kind of confusing this chapter. At one point it switches from Haseo's PoV to Atoli's PoV, and then a little later switches back to Haseo's PoV. When that final switch happens, the timeline gets reset to a little bit after when it switches to Atoli's PoV, so be warned.

Also, speech identity is kind of confusing in this chapter, too. I switched it around a bit. When a normal character is talking, or in special cases when an Avatar and their User are speaking in synch, it's regular quotations, regular text. When a normal character is thinking, it's italicised quotations, italicised text. When an Avatar is speaking to their User in their head, it's italicised text, no quotations. When an Avatar is talking through their user, and this is the tricky one, it's regular quotations, italicised text. ("Tricky author! Making us think!", is probably what you're all saying right now. =D) That's how it will most likely be from here on out, guys. Make a mental note.

... Or, at least, that's how it would be, if there was any difference between normal and italicised quotations in this font. ... Oops. Stupid website! YOU'RE USING THE WRONG FONT!

... I've always wanted to say that. =D

Wow, long Author's note is long. =O NOW, ON WITH THE SHOW! Read, Review, and all of that stuff. =D

* * *

"_Will I finally get answers? Will I finally understand what appears incomprehensible? Will the darkness in the back of my mind be pushed away? Will my memories come to light? Will I know who I am? What I am?"_

_Yes._

"_Then… I'll fight._

* * *

Chapter Nine: An Elegy of Elegance

* * *

Hours had passed since the first sounds of metal striking metal had echoed through the empty streets of the desert town. Powerful explosions rocked the already weakened buildings, and great waves of water rushed through the sand-stricken streets as magic clashed with magic. Several buildings had already collapsed, and others were about to join them. Any unknowing person looking on from afar would think this was the work of many hundreds of soldiers.

Instead, it was the work of only four.

"_Lei Zas!"_ Atoli cried, thrusting her staff forward. A powerful arrow of light erupted from the tip and hurtled toward Sakubo, who was scrambling to find a counter attack. The light hit her dead-on, and sent her and her large grimoire hurtling backwards. She picked herself up quickly and flipped through the pages of her book, until she seemed to find a spell she liked.

"_Ani Zot!"_ Sakubo shouted, and immediately Atoli jumped to the side as a gaping chasm opened up in the ground, sending a powerful blast of poisonous gas up where Atoli was standing only moments before. As Atoli scrambled to pick herself up, she ran through her entire spell repertoire in her head. She had to keep Saku busy, so that Haseo could devote his attention to fighting Endrance.

Only ten feet away from where the magic users were fighting, Endrance back-stepped as Haseo lunged forward, swinging his left blade at his opponent's stomach. Endrance, who was in an awkward position, couldn't get his long, black blade in a good spot to counterattack, and was temporarily stuck in place because of it. Haseo, seeing his opportunity, bent his knees and went at Endrance with a fierce upward slash. The attack connected, and sent the blue-haired Blade Brandier reeling backwards, clutching his stomach.

"Gah…! You… how dare you….!" Endrance stumbled and fell, gasping slightly. Saku turned her attention for a split second and, seeing that her Master was on the ground wounded, completely ignored Atoli and turned her fury on Haseo.

"You… How DARE you do this to Master En…!" She flipped through the pages of her grimoire and found a spell she liked. _"Rue Kruz!!!" _She screamed angrily, and Haseo only had a split second to dodge before a massive torrent of water rushed upward from where he had only been standing a second before. The small Shadow Warlock was out of control, shouting spells at the top of her lungs in rapid succession. _"Rue Kruz! Ani Zot! Vak Don! Lei Zas! Gan Bolg!!!" _

Haseo methodically dodged each spell as it came; jumping to the side as the water and poison swelled up from the ground, leaping out of the way as the fireballs came crashing down on him, spinning out of the way of the light arrows, and moving backwards out of the way of the falling boulders. Through all of this dodging, Haseo managed to get close enough to Atoli to grab her wrist and pull her out of the way as more spells came hurtling at them. As he helped her dodge the oncoming assault of magic, he linked their minds and gave her instructions.

"_Distract Endrance for me. I'm going to deal with Saku."_ He thought abruptly.

"_Alright, I'll do my best."_ Atoli replied, and Haseo let go of her wrist. He then realized something strange.

He hadn't even been thinking as he fought.

As he attacked and dodged, he hadn't been consciously thinking about what he had been doing. He was just _doing_ it. In the last couple of hours since the battle had begun, he had simply stopped thinking about what he was doing. If he saw an opening, he would take it. If he needed to dodge, he would dodge. He wouldn't think about what he had to do, he'd just _do _it. Skeith would pipe up and give him advice or instructions now and then, and Haseo would react. It was an unconscious action.

Second-nature.

_Spells incoming._ Skeith commented.

Haseo jumped forward as a massive blade of air whirled up from where he stood. Regaining his balance, he charged forward, dodging spells as he went. As he ran for the little Shadow Warlock, he could hear Skeith in his head, making smart-aleck remarks.

_Honestly, this battle's boring. Don't you agree? If you don't have to think about what you're doing, then this isn't exactly exciting, am I right? When are we going to get an opponent that makes us think, for a change?_

"_Maybe some day, Skeith."_ Haseo responded as he crossed his blades in front of himself and made a horizontal double-arcing motion, which connected and sent Saku flying backwards, howling in pain. _"Maybe some day."_

_Yeah, wouldn't that be nice. Nice attack, by the way._

"_Thanks."_

_Watch out, though. She's not going to be happy when she gets up._

"_I don't think I would be either, Skeith."_ Haseo tightened his grip on his swords and charged up, bent his knees, and nailed Saku in the stomach with his left sword as she was struggling to stand up. Pulling his left arm in close to his body, Haseo swung his right arm in another horizontal arcing motion, impacting her stomach and sending her flying again.

_Ha! True. Nice exploitation, kid. Way to hit her while she was still down._

"_Thanks-"_ Haseo's thoughts were cut of by a scream from behind him. Saku was sufficiently unconscious, so Haseo turned to see what was going on with Atoli and Endrance.

His eyes widened in horror.

Atoli was standing straight up, clutching her staff in front of her as if it was her last hope, her eyes wide in terror and her face pasty white. Endrance was holding his sword parallel to the ground, with the tip pointed directly at Atoli's heart. Haseo couldn't see Endrance's expression, but he didn't need to. Atoli's expression was all the motivation he needed.

* * *

Atoli's heart was beating fast. She was clinging to her staff for dear life, praying that something would happen and she would be spared. Innis was trying to calm her, but Atoli could barely hear her voice. The terror was paralyzing her, making her unable to move or think, except for a single thought that continued to echo in her head.

"_I'm going to die."_

Endrance looked at her curiously, but then raised his sword above his head.

"Atoli!!!" She heard Haseo's voice from somewhere behind Endrance. It was too late for him to help her, she thought. Endrance's black blade hung in the air above her like a guillotine. Atoli closed her eyes, expecting the worst to come.

It never came.

Atoli opened her eyes, only to see Haseo standing in front of her, facing towards Endrance with his arms outstretched. They stood like this for a few seconds, frozen in place, until Haseo's arms slowly fell to his sides. His fingers slowly lost their grip on his swords and they dropped to the ground as he fell backwards into Atoli. She reacted instantly, reaching out and grabbing him, supporting him as she lowered him to the ground. She stared in horror at the terrible wound that he had taken for her. It was an enormous bloody gash, running from his collarbone straight down his stomach. Blood was pouring from the wound, and was already spilling onto the ground. His eyes were half open, but they were glazed over, glassy and unseeing. Atoli tightened her grip on his arms, and tried to speak to his mind.

"_Haseo!? Haseo!"_ She called to him desperately. Fear gripped her lungs like sharp claws, making it difficult to breathe.

"… _Atoli……? Atoli… I…… I…"_ His thoughts were fading quickly.

"_Haseo! Haseo!!"_ Atoli tried to reach to him, to hold on to him, but his thoughts were too weak.

"_A… to… li… A…… to…… li…… I…"_ She couldn't hear him anymore. His thoughts were barely a whisper. She watched in terror as his eyes slowly began to close.

"No! Haseo!!!" Atoli shook him fiercely, trying to keep him awake. She couldn't let him die. But what could she do?

_Atoli! I need your help!_ Atoli's eyes widened as the unfamiliar voice of Haseo's avatar entered her mind. She glanced up at Endrance, but he seemed too intrigued by the situation to act or attack. She closed her eyes and responded.

"_Me? But, what can I do? Shouldn't you be able to help him…?"_

_I can only stop the bleeding temporarily, but that won't help. He needs a healer. A __**healer**__, Atoli. _

"_A healer…?"_

_You __**are**__ a Harvest Cleric, aren't you? Harvest Clerics are healers. You can heal him, Atoli._

"_But… I don't know any healing spells! How am I supposed to-"_

_Just listen to your heart, my lady. _Innis interjected.

"_My heart…"_ Atoli opened her eyes and looked at Haseo. Not at the wound, which was still bleeding steadily, but at his face. A face that she hadn't seen that much, but still knew so well. The face of the only person in the world that truly cared about her, not because of her power, or because she was a servant. He cared about _her_, about Atoli as a person. It was the face of the only person in the world that Atoli trusted unconditionally.

It was the face of the only person in the world that Atoli knew she couldn't live without.

She closed her eyes again, and let the thoughts of her heart echo through her mind.

"_He can't die. Haseo can't die. He just can't! I won't let him die! I couldn't live with myself if he did…"_

"_Haseo… I won't let you die!!"_ Her thoughts and feelings began to mesh into one force, flowing from her heart to the rest of her body. She could feel them flowing through her veins, tapping the massive reservoir of power deep within her that she still hadn't unlocked. As her thoughts flew around in her head, she could feel them becoming power.

The power to heal.

She gripped Haseo tightly as the words to a new spell entered her mind. Bringing all of the power within her to bear, she spoke the words.

"_Pha Repth!!!"_ The power flowed out of her, and she opened her eyes to witness what she had done.

They were both glowing with a brilliant white light. The light centered on Haseo's wound, cleansing the blood and the infection and then closing it, stitching the muscles and skin together flawlessly. Haseo's own power flowed out of him, mending his clothes. As the light faded, Haseo gasped for air, taking a shuddering breath. His breathing slowed down to a normal pace, and his pulse returned to normal. Atoli let out a sigh of relief, a feeling of calm satisfaction washing over her. She pulled him close to her and closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of accomplishment.

It didn't last long.

"Beautiful…" Endrance's voice wafted down to her ears. "Such a beautiful power…"

Atoli slowly opened her eyes, and looked up at Endrance. His face wore an almost lustful expression.

"Such beauty… is something that I need…" Endrance continued, looking at Atoli hungrily. "Mirage of Deceit… I… need your power… that beautiful power…"

"You… need my power…?" Atoli raised an eyebrow skeptically. What on earth could Endrance need her power for?

"Mirage of Deceit… join me…" Endrance extended his free hand out to her, as if beckoning her to come. She shrank back a bit out of fear, and looked down at Haseo, who was now sleeping peacefully in her arms. After all of the effort that she put into saving him, she wasn't going to just abandon him. She couldn't abandon him. He was her Master.

He was her friend.

"… No." Atoli said quietly, closing her eyes and gripping Haseo tighter.

"… What…?" Endrance looked confused. Atoli took a deep breath and laid Haseo down on the ground next to her.

"I said no, Endrance." Atoli repeated. She glared up at him with as much intensity as she could muster.

"… Why…? Why would you choose to stay with… someone like _him_…?" Endrance motioned down at Haseo's unconscious form. He was beginning to stir, but was still out of it. "He is nothing… nothing but a ruthless killer… Where is the beauty in that…?"

"Maybe you can't see it, Endrance…" Atoli replied, sighing. "… but Haseo's real beauty is on the inside. When all you care about is how beautiful someone is on the outside, you can't see the ugliness on the inside. Likewise, when you look for the beauty on the inside, then the outside becomes beautiful too."

Endrance pondered for a moment. Atoli continued; "Haseo's "true nature" may be that he's a ruthless killer, fine. But as long as he doesn't act on his "true nature", then he's just as beautiful a person on the inside as anyone else. True self-worth is knowing your weaknesses and refusing to give in to them."

"And as for me," She concluded with confidence, "I think that Haseo is a more beautiful person than anyone else. More beautiful than even you, Endrance. You may be beautiful on the outside, but inside, your obsessiveness and cruelty makes you hideous."

Endrance seemed lost in thought. Atoli closed her eyes again, hoping that her words had made an impression. After a few seconds, however, she heard Endrance sigh.

"I will ask you one more time… Mirage of Deceit, will you join me…?" Atoli's heart sank. Even if her words had had some sort of effect, Endrance wasn't listening. She opened her eyes and looked down at Haseo, who was almost completely awake. She reached down and touched his hand gently.

"_Haseo… I hope you heard what I said. I meant every word of it."_ Atoli thought, hoping he was conscious enough to hear her. She then pulled her hand away and stood up, ready to give her final answer.

* * *

Haseo mentally kicked himself. Why had he jumped in front of the blade like a reckless idiot? Now he was bleeding profusely, his head was spinning, and everything was getting dark. Even thinking was becoming too difficult a task.

"_Why… did I do that…? I'm such an… idiot… Now… I'm going to die… Ugh…"_

_Don't give up, kid!_ He heard a voice faintly from the back of his mind. The words seemed distant, and echoed for a while before he could grasp them firmly.

"_Skeith… I… I can't believe… I was so… stupid…"_

_You did a good thing, kid. You saved Atoli. Granted, there were other ways you could have handled it, but all that matters is that you hang on! Come on, Haseo! Hang on!!_ His avatar's voice sounded almost desperate.

"_Skeith… I… I can't… It hurts… It hurts too much…"_ He could feel his own thoughts growing distant, and darkness had already clouded his vision. Haseo's eyes felt heavy; they were like lead weights. It took all of his energy to keep them open, but slowly they began to close against his will.

_Haseo! Haseo!!_ Skeith was frantically trying to clot the wound, keep him awake, and prevent him from giving up, but Haseo could barely hear him. He couldn't tell where he was anymore; the only thing he could sense was the pain. It was like fire; a terrible burning sensation that ran from his throat down through his lungs and his heart and continuing through his stomach. The pain branched away from his wound like needle filled claws, spreading through his entire body like a poison.

"_It… hurts… Skeith… it… hurts…!"_ Haseo could barely get the thoughts together.

_I know it hurts. Just hang on a little bit longer!_

"_It… hurts…! Make it… make it stop hurting, Skeith!!"_ Haseo wanted to cry, but he wasn't able to make his body respond. He had been cut of from his motor control by the overwhelming amounts of pain.

_I'm trying, Haseo! I'm trying!_ Skeith was distraught. The wound was too large; he couldn't prevent all of the bleeding, and it was already getting infected. _No! If this keeps up… You're losing too much blood, Haseo! You have to help me!_

"_I… can't… I…… I…"_

"_Haseo!? Haseo!"_ He couldn't remember whose voice that was, until it finally clicked.

"… _Atoli……? Atoli… I…… I..." _Haseo struggled to put a thought together, but it was hopeless. He couldn't think anymore. He just wanted to sleep. He wanted to get away from the pain. He wanted to sleep forever.

"_Haseo! Haseo!!"_ He could hear the desperation in her voice, and tried to put his feelings into thoughts, but they wouldn't connect.

"_A… to… li… A…… to…… li…… I…"_ Haseo's own thoughts sounded hollow and echoed lazily around in his mind. Slowly, he could feel his eyes closing, and as he faded into unconsciousness, Skeith's plea faded into darkness.

_Atoli! I need your help!_

Silence. Darkness. Numbness. Nothingness. Haseo could sense himself, yet the being he sensed wasn't _himself_.

"_Am I dead?"_ He wondered. _"Maybe this is what really happens after we die. We sit alone in darkness for the rest of eternity." _Haseo sighed. _"… Hmph. At least it's peaceful."_

The darkness was total. He couldn't see, he couldn't smell, there was nothing to feel. He was empty and alone. Completely empty, utterly alone.

"_It's been a while since I was truly 'alone'."_ Haseo noted. _"I've always had Skeith with me. I suppose it's okay, since he can tell when I want him to leave me to my thoughts, but… it's not the same as being alone. It's… lonelier being alone."_

"_Skeith…"_ He sighed. _"I hope he's okay. He was so upset earlier. I didn't mean to worry him like that, but… Gah, what was I thinking!? __**Was**__ I even thinking? I didn't even hesitate to get in the way of Endrance's sword…"_

"_Atoli… Atoli's okay, though. I heard her, too. She was alright. She sounded scared out of her wits, but… she's got Innis to help her, and maybe Skeith, too. Maybe… maybe they'll find a way to help me…"_

"_I wonder what's happening…"_ Haseo mused to himself. _"Is Atoli fighting off Endrance by herself? Or maybe, she's finding a way to heal me… Man, that wound should have killed me."_ He could tell by now that he really wasn't dead, just unconscious. Skeith had said once that Epitaph Users couldn't be killed, so clearly he was just knocked out. _"It would have killed any normal person to lose that much blood. Endrance has a really nasty down-thrust. Hmm… I wonder if Saku's still unconscious. I hit her pretty hard…"_

It was then that he heard something faintly. Haseo strained his ears to hear it, but it was so faint.

"_Haseo… I won't let you die!!"_

"_Atoli…? That's Atoli's voice…"_

"_Pha Repth!!"_ Atoli's voice echoed faintly, growing louder as it reverberated in his mind. Suddenly, he could feel himself being pulled from his dark sanctuary, back to his body. Haseo braced himself for the pain of his wound, but it didn't come. He couldn't even feel it. He was still unconscious, but he was back in his own body, in his own mind. Instantly, Skeith was with him, fussing and fretting.

_Haseo!? Haseo! Are you okay!?_

"_I'm fine, Skeith. What happened…?"_

_Atoli healed you. Oh, thank Morganna for giving you a Harvest Cleric!_

"_I… I have to wake up… don't I."_ Haseo wasn't thrilled about the idea, but he knew he had to eventually. Atoli needed his help, probably.

_Yeah, you do. Don't push yourself, though. You're still pretty weak. That was a fatal wound you suffered, by the way. Don't go making a habit of getting those, you hear?_

"_It's not like I wanted to die, Skeith."_

_I know, but that was brutal. You… You've got no idea how scared I was._ Skeith confessed.

"…_? You… were scared? You knew I couldn't die…"_

_Yeah, but if you lost too much blood, you could've ended up comatose. It's not easy to cure a coma, even for a healer like Atoli or Sakaki. Don't do that again, okay? Fear is not a feeling that I want to feel too often._

"_Yeah, but fear keeps you humble, doesn't it?"_ Haseo tried to lighten his avatar's mood.

_Haseo. Please. Don't do that again._

Skeith was serious. Deadly serious. Haseo knew that it wasn't often that his avatar used 'please'. This was clearly not a laughing matter.

"_Alright, Skeith. I promise. I won't get seriously injured again if I can help it."_ Haseo knew that this was one promise that he had to keep, no matter what. Skeith didn't want anything bad to happen to him, and he didn't want to make Skeith frantic like that again. Frantic Skeith could only mean trouble, and "trouble" probably meant a massacre when it came to the Terror of Death.

Suddenly, Haseo realized that he was slowly becoming more and more aware of his surroundings. He could hear the wind howling, and could feel Atoli's hands touching him. He then heard Endrance speaking, talking to Atoli.

"_I will ask you one more time… Mirage of Deceit, will you join me…?"_ Haseo's blood ran cold. Why did Endrance want Atoli? He struggled to open his eyes, but they were still like lead, so all he could do was shift around a bit. Suddenly, he felt a warm hand touch his hand, and heard Atoli's thoughts. They were directed right to him.

"_Haseo… I hope you heard what I said. I meant every word of it."_ Her hand pulled away, and Haseo managed to open his eyes a crack. He could see Atoli standing only a few feet away from him, glaring at Endrance with a look of sheer determination. He managed to get his eyes open halfway, and was able to hear Atoli clearly as she gave Endrance her answer.

"I would rather die."

Haseo felt a warm feeling welling up inside him. _"Atoli… thank you."_ He knew she couldn't hear him, but he needed to form the thought. She wasn't going to abandon him. That alone gave him strength.

"… Very well, then…" Endrance lifted his sword again. Haseo's eyes widened as the blade began to glow. "… Then you shall join me against your will… By the power of _Seductive Steel…_"

"Atoli!! NO!!!" Haseo reached out, but then remembered his promise to Skeith. He watched, helpless, as Endrance brought down the blade on Atoli. The blade didn't tear her flesh, it merely passed through her; however, where the blade passed through, it left some of its luminescence behind. Atoli looked down and both she and Haseo watched in horror as the lavender glow began to spread throughout her body. She glanced down at Haseo, and with the last second she had, whispered to him.

"Haseo… help…!" The glow completely enveloped her, and her eyes suddenly grew glassy. Her arms, which had been quivering uncontrollably, fell limply to her sides. Atoli looked almost like a doll; she looked like she had gotten her soul sucked out of her.

"Atoli…?" Haseo slowly got to his feet. "Atoli… are you okay…?"

She didn't respond. She didn't even look like she had heard him. Atoli showed no signs of even faint recognition. Haseo grabbed her arms and shook her fiercely.

"Atoli!? Atoli!!" He yelled, trying to get a reaction. He suddenly felt a dark, gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Atoli! I know you can hear me! Answer me, Atoli! What's wrong with you!?"

"She cannot hear you… or, rather… she is bound from speaking…" Endrance sighed, and put his sword away. Haseo glared at him angrily, not understanding what he meant.

"Bound from speaking? By what!?" He released Atoli, and took a threatening step toward Endrance. The man sighed and shook his head.

"By _Seductive Steel_… one of my techniques. It is like… a temporary alliance shift." Endrance gestured towards Atoli. "Though it does not grant me her power, or many of the other privileges of being her true Master, it does prevent her from responding to her true Master…"

"Wha…" Haseo's eyes were wide in shock. Endrance could do something like that? "Why? Why would you do something so horrible…!?"

"Horrible…? Who are you to use that word, "Terror of Death"? You can feel it inside you… the powerful emotions and feelings that are lurking within your heart… They frighten you… because you know they're there… and you know… even though you deny it so stubbornly… you know that… those feelings are yours…"

"Stop it!!" Haseo shouted, shaking his head vehemently. He could feel Skeith inside of him, growing angrier by the second. "That's not… that's not true! I'm not like that!!"

"Denying your true feelings… does not make you strong. It is merely… a sign of cowardice…"

"_Who are you calling a coward!?_" Haseo shouted angrily, only to recover his senses a few seconds later. _"What… was that? That wasn't me…"_

"Do you see? You can't even control the part of you that you fear the most…" Endrance stated with satisfaction.

"_Haseo doesn't fear me! The only one here that fears me is you!_" Haseo cried, but it wasn't his voice.

Skeith was using Haseo as a mouthpiece.

Haseo shook his head, trying to stay in control of himself. _"Skeith, what are you doing!? Don't prove his point for him!"_

_Are you just going to sit here at take this sort of verbal abuse!? __**Atoli**__ is under that creep's control! Are you going to just roll over and let that happen!?_

"_Of… Of course not! I…"_ Haseo couldn't argue with Skeith. He was right, after all.

"Terror of Death… your only option… to save your servant… is to defeat me. Data Draining me will release my hold on her… but I doubt you will be capable of that…" Endrance suddenly began to glow, and violet symbols flashed across his body.

"_Are you calling me weak!?_" Skeith cried out again, and Haseo could feel his anger peaking. Skeith's rage was starting to affect him as well, and Haseo began to beg his avatar not to go berserk.

"_Skeith, you've got to calm down! If we're careless, Atoli might end up hurt, too!"_

_I'm done dealing with this stuck-up pretty boy! If he wants to talk, then he can talk to my scythe!!_ Skeith was beyond reason, and Haseo could feel his power rising within him. The presence was overwhelming, and he knew that holding Skeith back would be impossible. He remembered back in Atoli's world, Skeith had easily forced his way into his mind. Taking control of his body wouldn't be much of a problem for Skeith, either.

Skeith's power continued to boil up inside him, scorching his insides like fire. He tried with all of his strength to keep the power bottled up inside of himself, but he just couldn't; the blood-red symbols flashed across his body, and Skeith was getting impatient.

_Come on, kid. Let me out. I'll teach this jerk who's a cowardly weakling. Just let me out!_

"_I… I can't do that, Skeith! We have… to fight him together…!"_

_We can! You just have to let me out!!_

"_N-No!"_

_Let me out, __**Haseo!!!**_ The pain became unbearable. The fire rose through his throat, and he couldn't take it anymore. He threw his head back and screamed in sheer agony.

"**Skeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiith!!!" **The power was released; the pain stopped. The red haze formed around his body, glowing even more brightly than it had in the battle against Innis. Suddenly, Haseo felt trapped. He was watching himself from inside his body, but it wasn't him who was in control.

Skeith was in charge now.

Haseo felt betrayed. He and Skeith were partners. They were supposed to fight together. Skeith had become so caught up in his anger and desire to fight that he had forgotten that he and Haseo needed to work together. Together, they could defeat anyone.

Alone, Haseo wasn't so sure.

Endrance had already released his avatar. A huge, hulking silhouette of a feline being with an enormous rose petal skirt and a wedding veil. Skeith's silhouette was tiny compared to Endrance's avatar.

"_The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Come on, Macha! Let's see what you've got!_" Skeith shouted, rising off of the ground and summoning his scythe from thin air. Macha raised one of her claws, as if preparing to strike, but instead reached for the ground. Skeith lunged forward, eager to fight, and was about to slice out a piece of Macha's arm. However, he stopped abruptly as Macha brought her hand back up. It wasn't so much her hand that made him stop, it was what was clenched tightly in her fist.

Atoli.

As much as he didn't care for the girl, Skeith knew that Atoli was important to Haseo. He could feel him in the background of his thoughts; panic was the dominating emotion in Haseo's part of their mind. Skeith really didn't have much of a choice; if Atoli got hurt, Haseo would never forgive him. He backed down slightly, and Macha spoke up.

"_Terror of Death… you aren't cooperating with your User. I knew you were stubborn, but to think you were treasonous…_" Macha's voice was definitely female, which was odd, coming from Endrance's mouth. She spoke very similarly to Endrance, however; both of their voices came across as a slow articulation.

"_T-Treasonous!? How dare you…! To think even for a SECOND that I'm disloyal!_" Skeith shouted, his anger rising again. Haseo tried to reach Skeith, but he had closed himself off; he wasn't going to listen. "_I would never…! I would NEVER betray Haseo!_"

"_Then why are you not working together…?_" Macha asked simply. "_I see no point in fighting only one of you. I know that if you do not work together… you will never save the Mirage of Deceit…_"

Skeith looked again at Atoli. She still had a doll-like appearance about her, like she was just a lifeless shell. He had to remind himself that this wasn't just Atoli; this was Atoli _and_ Innis. He would lose someone too if anything happened to Atoli. Skeith then thought back on Macha's words.

"… _To think you were treasonous…"_

"_Am I betraying Haseo? I'm just doing what I think is right. Is that so wrong?"_ Skeith remembered, for the most part, who he was and what he was supposed to do. Haseo didn't understand who he was yet, or what he needed to accomplish. But still… if Skeith didn't help him understand or remember, then neither of them would progress. Skeith begrudgingly opened up his mind and let himself hear Haseo's thoughts.

_Skeith… we need to work together._

"… _I know that."_

_Then why are you hesitating? You need to not just remember who __**you**__ are. You need to remember who __**we**__ are. Right now, you're just Skeith, and I'm just Haseo. It's only when-_

"_It's only when we're __**together**__ that we are the Terror of Death."_

_Exactly._

"_Of course, if that happens, you'll have to fight. You're okay with that?"_

_I…_ Haseo hesitated. _I don't like the idea of fighting. It seems so pointless, but… I guess I know deep down that I need to fight. Maybe if I could remember more, I wouldn't have a problem with fighting, but… Right now, I just want to know the truth._

"_And defeating Endrance and Macha-"_

_-will get us closer to that truth._

They both could feel their synchronization increasing. Their individual wills grew more similar, and as that happened, they grew closer in identity. As they grew closer to each other, they grew stronger. When they farther away from each other, they grew weaker. It was a simple concept, but it was so much harder to implement. Yet as their thoughts began to mesh into one collective train of thought, they realized how much they had grown together. It seemed so much easier to become one than it had when they fought Innis.

Not only were their minds combining, their powers were combining as well. Haseo could feel his power and Skeith's power melding together into one force, far stronger than either of their powers alone. This time, the power didn't feel like fiery needles; it felt like the warm feeling that drinking hot chocolate brings. It was comfortable.

"_Let's go."_ They thought together.

They rose up off the ground again, floating lazily upward until they were eye-level with Macha. "All better now?" They said together, their voices flowing into one. Endrance raised an eyebrow. "What? Not expecting us to be this synchronized? You should know better than that, Macha. You know who we are. Moreover, you know _what_ we are."

Endrance's expression darkened. "_I see. I suppose I was just shocked. Endrance and I have never achieved such high synchronization._"

"Maybe that's because you don't grow together," Skeith and Haseo said in unison. It might have sounded strange to Macha or anyone else, but to Skeith and Haseo, it felt perfectly natural. "You don't try to understand each other. Endrance lives to please you, and you live to keep Endrance at your beck and call. We grow stronger by understanding each other, and by learning more about each other. We grow closer by bonding. We share all of our experiences, our happiness, our sorrow, our pain. We talk about even the most trivial topics, like why books are read different ways in different parts of our world." They both chuckled at that memory. It had certainly been an interesting conversation. Haseo had argued that the Japanese style of reading right to left was the correct way, while Skeith had argued that the English style of left to right was correct. Neither had been able to convince the other, so the two of them were still at an impasse about that subject.

"_It matters not. I will still crush you… so that Endrance and I can exist together forever…_" She lifted her hand high above her head, and made to drop Atoli. They watched carefully as Atoli suddenly shook off the doll-like expression she had been wearing and looked around frantically. She began to thrash uncontrollably and scream.

"Help! Haseo! Innis! Skeith! Someone!! Anyone!!!" Atoli cried, and just then, Macha let go. At that very instant, Haseo and Skeith took action. Before she could even blink, Atoli was safely in their arms, and they had already cleared Macha's range of attack before she could truly register that she wasn't falling anymore. Setting her down inside the second-story window of one of the more sturdy-looking buildings left, they dropped down to Atoli's eye level.

"Atoli, are you okay?" Haseo and Skeith asked in their unified voice, which startled Atoli. "Don't worry, we're just at a really high synchronization. Cool, huh?"

Atoli nodded weakly. "Wha… What happened to me? I remember getting hit by the sword, getting swallowed by the light… and then…"

"Endrance stole your will temporarily," They replied. "But that's not important right now. What matters is that you need to stay here and keep yourself safe, alright?" Atoli nodded.

"I'll try. Don't lose, okay?" She looked up at them with pleading eyes. They both saw her face, and her sincerity touched them both.

"We won't. Are you doubting us?" They grinned cockily before turning away from the window. Macha was still in the same place, hovering at the edge of the desert. Sensing that her opponent was ready, she suddenly flew higher, and then floated lazily out into the vast sands. "She's taunting us, huh? Well, fine. Desert it is." They rose up higher, and shot out of the city like a bullet. Macha was slow, and it wasn't long before they could make out her silhouette in the sandstorm. Pulling out the scythes, both the physical scythe and the silhouette scythe, Skeith and Haseo made ready to fight like they meant it.

At least, until something flew through the sand and almost hit them head-on.

They spun out of the way at the last possible second, trailing the scythe behind them. The object, whatever it was, hit the massive blade of energy and dissipated like it hadn't even been there.

"Macha's playing tricks, eh? Whatever. She doesn't know who she's dealing with." Haseo and Skeith continued to plow through the seemingly endless sand flurries that were flying at them, chasing Macha's shadow as she continued to try and confuse them. "Good thing that her tricks aren't working. It would be bad if they were." Finally, they caught completely up to her and prepared to strike a decisive blow. "Game over, Macha." With a powerful three-swing combination, they tore massive holes in Macha's silhouette. The impact force of the attacks sent huge waves of air flying in all directions, scattering the sandstorms. Macha turned to face her assailant, with an angry snarl on Endrance's face. He was still far from getting hit; Macha's silhouette was so large that it made it difficult to get an attack that deep within her.

Macha's claws suddenly began to glow a rosy color, and she flew forward with all of her might, swinging her claws wildly. Skeith and Haseo ducked swiftly under her arm, trailing their scythes behind them. Just as Macha's arm passed above them, they made a vertical arcing slash with their scythe, opening a huge tear in Macha's left arm. Endrance screamed in obvious pain, and Haseo and Skeith flew up away from Macha's silhouette as she bent over, clutching her now nearly-severed arm. They were now behind Macha and Endrance, and took the opening to swiftly dive in and deliver a good round of slashes to Macha's back. Any point of entry so that Haseo's scythe would be able to get to Endrance would work; they weren't picky, as long as they got close. Macha suddenly whipped around, bringing her right claws to bear. The two of them instantly dropped about thirty feet in the air, catching themselves just as Macha's claw passed above their heads. They took the opportunity to widen the tears they had made earlier; Skeith's silhouette scythe cut hazy red lines out of the violet aura surrounding Endrance. They pressed harder and harder with their attacks, which caused Macha to pull away from them, opting to run away. She started to float as quickly as she could back towards the ruined city, and Skeith and Haseo pursued her, rushing in at exposed areas when they had the opening.

They had almost reached the city, when suddenly they saw their chance. Endrance was clearly exposed by some of their earlier tears that had widened as Macha strained herself to escape. "Here's where it ends," They commented sardonically before plunging in with all of the speed they could muster directly into the gap in Macha's aura. It wasn't much exposure, but it was all they needed. Haseo gripped his scythe tightly and plunged the blade deep into Endrance's chest.

Endrance let out a huge gasp, as if the breath had been knocked out of him. Macha suddenly shuddered uncontrollably, and Endrance let out a scream as his core power was ripped from his body. Haseo and Skeith both watched as the brilliant purple aura began to dissipate, being sucked back into Endrance's body and then siphoned out by the power of Skeith's Data Drain. The brilliant purple glow that was traveling along the shaft of the scythe suddenly changed color; it slowly shifted to a mixture of blue and pink.

"_Sakubo's power…" _Haseo thought, abruptly realizing that he and Skeith had become separate identities again. The power flowed into him, suffusing him with strength; he could feel the power of three different Epitaph Users other than himself running through his veins. Suddenly, the glow stopped, and Haseo pulled the scythe out as Endrance fell limply to the ground. Skeith suddenly pulled back into the back of his mind, taking his power and his presence with him. The red aura around Haseo vanished, and he floated gently to the ground. As his feet touched the pavement, however, he suddenly began to glow again, and small cracks suddenly formed across his body. They didn't hurt, but they startled him slightly. From in between the cracks, red light began to shine out. Unexpectedly, the cracks shattered like an outer shell; the fragments floated upward, dissipating into nothing, and Haseo reached out quickly and grabbed the mirror as it floated down in front of him.

"_That was a long battle, huh, Skeith?"_ Haseo asked as soon as he had the mirror safely in his grasp. _"Glad it's over, though."_

_Hey, kid. Something's wrong with Endrance. Look at him._

Haseo looked down at Endrance's- or rather, Kaoru's limp form. He seemed to be struggling to breathe; when he inhaled, it was more like a shuddering wheeze, and when he exhaled, it seemed like a broken gasp. Suddenly, Haseo heard rapid footsteps, like someone running up quickly behind him. He was just about to turn around, when he was shoved to the side.

"Master En! Master En!! Hang on, Master En!" Saku reached down, as if she could do something by just holding her hands over him. "No, no, no! It can't be happening! No!!!" Haseo walked up to her, and she noticed him standing over her. She whipped around and screamed at him; "It's all YOUR fault! All of it!!" Haseo raised an eyebrow at her, not understanding what she meant.

"What do you mean? What's all my fault?" He asked, folding his arms and leaning on one hip.

"Master En's going to die now! It's all your fault!" Saku continued screaming at him.

"Saku, calm down. Epitaph Users can't die, remember?"

"You idiot! Master En's Fatal Flaw is going to kill him! His lungs are collapsing! We have to do something…!" Saku was absolutely beside herself with anger and worry.

"Wha… What!?" Haseo's eyes widened. He could feel a sharp twang from the mirror.

_He's passing out. You have to keep his heart working. What was that emergency thing called where you breathe into them and then pound on their chest? CPS?_

"… _CPR, Skeith. CPR. CPS is Child Protection Services."_ Haseo corrected. Even during a crisis, Skeith never failed to make him laugh.

_Whatever. Just do it._

Haseo ran up to Kaoru's side and stooped onto one knee. Sticking his fingers in his neck, he could tell that his heart had already stopped. There wasn't much time. He turned to Saku, who was still having a panic attack.

"Saku, we've got to keep his blood moving. You have to help me, okay?" Saku looked at him like he was crazy. At that instant, Atoli ran up to them.

"What's wrong with Endrance? Why is he-" She started to ask, but Haseo cut her off.

"Atoli. You need to go get Sakaki." He stated firmly.

"S-Sakaki? Why him?"

"His lungs are collapsing. We need his help, or Endrance isn't going to make it! Hurry!" Atoli seemed startled by his urgent tone, but complied nonetheless. She turned around, opened a door, and disappeared from sight as quickly as her legs could carry her. Haseo turned back to Saku, who was still breathing unsteadily out of anxiety. "Saku, I'm going to teach you something called CPR, okay? It stands for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. It's something you use when someone's heart stops and they aren't breathing. It's got two parts, so you're going to do one part, and I'll do the other, okay?" Saku was shaking, but nodded slowly. "So, the first part is what you're going to do, okay? It's called Rescue Breathing. You have to lift his head back like this…" He gently put one hand on Kaoru's chin and the other on his forehead, tipping his head back. "This opens his airway, so air can get through. Now, what you have to do, Saku, is use your right hand to plug his nose tightly." Saku nodded and reached a shaking hand down and plugged Kaoru's nose. "Now, you have to seal your lips completely over his mouth and give him two deep breaths, okay?"

Saku looked at him like he was crazy.

"Saku, he needs air. The only way he'll get that is if you force it into his lungs." She glanced down at him, swallowed hard, and bent down to give Kaoru air. Haseo positioned himself over Kaoru's chest, ready to manually pump his heart. He watched as Kaoru's chest rose and fell slightly as Saku breathed into him, and when she pulled away and looked at him pleadingly, he got ready for the next part. "Okay, the second part of CPR is Chest Compressions. You hold your hands like this," He put one hand on top of the other, with both palms facing down, and interlocked his fingers, "and you push down on his chest, right above the heart. You've got to keep your elbows locked and use your whole body weight." He put his hands over Kaoru's heart and began pumping straight down. "One, two, three, four…" He counted along with the compressions. "… fifteen. Give him two more breaths, Saku. Quickly!" She repeated the rescue breathing, and Haseo did fifteen more compressions. "Again, Saku."

Haseo didn't think about what he had to do. He had to keep Endrance alive. He let himself get into a rhythm of fifteen compressions and then waiting for Saku to give him two more breaths. He had heard debates over whether it was fifteen or thirty compressions, but at the moment, the only justification he had for doing fifteen was that if they didn't keep pumping Kaoru's lungs full of air, they'd completely collapse. There wasn't enough time to do thirty compressions.

"One, two, three, four, five -Come on, Endrance, stay with us! Ten, eleven, twelve-" Haseo was about to finish, when he heard Atoli shouting for him.

"Haseo! We're back!" She appeared through the still-open doorway, with Sakaki following closely behind her.

"Sakaki! Endrance-" He was about to explain the situation, but Sakaki cut him off.

"… I see. Continue what you were doing for a moment, Terror of Death." Sakaki ordered. Haseo didn't argue. This wasn't the time to be stubborn. Stubbornness could cost Endrance his life. Haseo turned back to Saku and ordered her to do another set of breaths. Sakaki turned around and, out of nowhere, conjured a large white tent above their heads. Inside, there was a cot, and a few drawers of medicines and other equipment. Sakaki walked back over to where Kaoru was laying, and waved his hand over him. Suddenly, a white glow enveloped Endrance, and Haseo and Saku both pulled back, startled.

"This will stabilize the Temptress temporarily, but he'll destabilize the second it wears off. Help me move him onto the cot, Terror of Death." Sakaki ordered. Haseo moved over to grab Kaoru's shoulders, and Sakaki grabbed his legs. They lifted him up and moved him as carefully as they could onto the cot.

"Sakaki, what can we do to help him?" Haseo asked desperately. Saku moved over and began to fuss over Endrance's body the second the two of them stepped away from the cot. "His lungs are collapsing, and if we don't help him now, he'll never recover."

"I knew this would happen eventually." Sakaki sighed. "Unfortunately, I have no countermeasures against it. He's so close to death that his body won't accept my power." Haseo bit his lip, and looked down at Kaoru. This was all his fault. If he hadn't fought Endrance and Data Drained him, and become his Master…

Suddenly, something clicked inside Haseo's mind.

He reached into his pocket and brushed the mirror.

_Yes?_

"_I'm Endrance's Master now, right?"_

_What've you got in mind?_

"_Can't I use my authority to help him?"_

_I thought you didn't like using your power over them._

"_This is an emergency."_

_Well… the problem right now is that Kaoru's so close to dying. His body's shutting down, and can't physically accept Sakaki's treatments, or even Atoli's treatments. I suppose you could use your authority to __**force**__ Endrance's body to accept the treatments. Is that what you had in mind?_

"_As long as it works."_ Haseo turned back to Sakaki and explained his idea.

"It… might work." Sakaki looked doubtful. "The problem also is that because the Temptress is so close to dying, my power is not enough to bring him back from the brink of death _and_ fortify his lungs. We would need the power of at least two healers to perform something like that." Haseo bit his lip again, but then broke out into a cocky grin.

"… Then we're in luck. We've got two healers right here in this tent."

Sakaki raised an eyebrow, and Haseo motioned to his side.

"Thank Morganna for giving me a Harvest Cleric."

* * *

Congratulations, everyone. As a result of reading this chapter, you are all now qualified to perform CPR. =D

To all of you HaseoXEndrance fans out there who are reading this for whatever reason, NO I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE POOR NAIVE HASEO DO MOUTH-TO-MOUTH WITH ENDRANCE. That's just gross. Besides, I'll be giving you all a little bit of one-sided Endrance-loves-Haseo in the next chapter, so NO COMPLAINING. This is a HaseoXAtoli story for a reason, folks.

UPDATE: After chapter ten, there's going to be a change in how I title my chapters. So, right now, I have awesome musical alliterations every chapter (Why? I have no idea. I just thought it sounds cool =D), but after chapter ten, I'm going to abandon that and just go with normal titles. One, because I'm straining my brain trying to come up with musical terms that start with the same letter as something to do with my chapter, two, I'm probably going to end up with more chapters in my story than I know musical terms for, three, my German translator was having trouble translating the titles while keeping the alliterations, and four, I'm just lazy. So, unless I get a ton of reviews saying that I'm stupid and I should keep doing the awesome alliterations until my brain explodes, then it's going away after the next chapter. =3

NEXT CHAPTER: Endrance healed, new drama with Atoli, and Yata, Pi, and Kuhn's schemes get put in motion! Get excited! NOW!

And now, for the part where any self-respecting author gets down on their knees and begs for reviews. *ahem* PLEASE REVIEW THIS CHAPTER! IF I DON'T GET REVIEWS TO MOTIVATE ME, THEN THE NEXT CHAPTER MIGHT NOT BE OUT FOR SIX MONTHS AGAIN!!! PLEASE DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN TO MEEEE!!!=O


	10. A Decrescendo of Doubt

Okay, so I managed to pull together the next chapter BEFORE six months passed. Phew! I have been spared the wrath of angry, impatient readers!

To everyone who reviewed my last chapter, thank you! And to everyone who didn't, you really should next time. Reviews always make me feel better.

Well, this chapter seemed kind of all over the place to me. I tried to keep it on one track, but with Skeith... I guess there really is no "one track" with him. He just kind of goes off on his own little tangents without any concern for anyone else, including me. *sob* Hopefully this chapter seems fairly well held together. It's kind of half-filler chapter and half-oh-hey-important-stuff-is-happening chapter, so look out.

So, I think I've talked long enough, so R&R, please!

* * *

"_My chest… it burns… someone… help… me…"__­­­­­­­­­_

* * *

Chapter 10: A Decrescendo of Doubt

* * *

Haseo looked down at Endrance's limp form. He wasn't breathing, and Haseo couldn't tell if his heart was still beating or not. There wasn't much time left, and action needed to be taken to save Endrance's life. If Haseo couldn't save him here and now, then Endrance would be doomed. Haseo didn't care for Endrance one bit, but he knew that he couldn't let him die. He knew within his heart that if he let Endrance die here, the blood would be on his hands.

Haseo didn't want that.

And so he stood side by side with Sakaki and Atoli; Sakaki was holding his left shoulder, and Atoli was holding his right hand. He looked down at the unconscious form in front of him and wondered to himself why he was going to such lengths for a total stranger. Haseo couldn't come up with a way to justify himself, in the same way that he couldn't justify letting him die. It was an odd mentality.

Haseo closed his eyes, and tried to recall somewhere inside him the memory of Endrance's real name. He dug and dug into his mind, but it wouldn't come; the memory still seemed like it was locked. He then tried a different approach; he tried to recall the memory of when Endrance introduced himself. For some reason, he couldn't find it either; it seemed like any memories pertaining to Endrance's real name was blocked off. Haseo continued to search for it; he knew that it had to be in his mind somewhere, since when he Data Drained Atoli, both her and Shino's real names came to him almost instantly. He tried digging with his power to find the memory, but something repelled the power.

It was then that he realized his problem; Skeith was acting as a roadblock. His avatar didn't want him to find Endrance's real name, for some reason. Haseo withdrew his power begrudgingly and reached into his pocket and touched the mirror.

"_What are you doing, Skeith?" _He asked, letting his irritation be plain.

_What's the point of saving this guy, anyway?_ Skeith piped up.

"_He's an Epitaph User, Skeith."_ Haseo replied, hoping that his avatar would keep his objections to himself.

_So? Who cares? This guy tried to kill you. Not only that, you're the Terror of Death; you shouldn't care if he dies._

"_Why do you say that? What makes you think you know me better than I do!?"_ Haseo snapped at Skeith; he was sick and tired of people always assuming that he was some sort of bloodthirsty killer.

_It's your true nature-_

"_Why does everyone say that? Why does it seem like everyone knows more than I do about everything? It's not fair!"_

_Life isn't fair, kid._

"… _That's not a very good excuse."_

_You'd be surprised; the other Epitaph Users would say the exact same thing. You're pretty highly favored of Morganna; she absolutely adores you. That's why everyone's so…_ Skeith let the thought trail off.

"… _Intent on destroying me?" _Haseo finished the sentence. _"Why should Morganna care about a bloodthirsty killer like me?" _He put heavy sarcastic emphasis on the last four words.

… _Do you really want to save Endrance, kid?_ Skeith said after a brief pause.

"_Yes."_ Haseo was grateful for Skeith changing the subject. Now was not the time for an argument like that. They needed to save Endrance's life.

… _His name's Kaoru Ichinose. Happy now?_

"_Very."_ Haseo turned his head and looked up at Sakaki. "I've got his name. What do I do now?"

"We will channel the healing power into your body, and then you must use your authority to force it into his body. Your wording must be precise; if you do not order it to permanently heal his lungs, we will have done this for nothing." Sakaki replied calmly. Haseo nodded and reached his hand out to rest it on Kaoru's chest.

Sakaki turned to Atoli and nodded, and the two of them suddenly began to glow. The light grew more intense, and then slowly passed into Haseo. He could feel it entering his body; it was warm and comforting, and made him feel at ease. He took a deep breath and thought out the wording of the order carefully before speaking.

"_Kaoru Ichinose… accept this healing power and allow your lungs to be healed permanently."_ Haseo made sure to use the word "permanently", just to be safe. Suddenly, the power faded out of him, flowing though his hand and into Endrance's body. He stepped back and watched as the light grew more intense, and then seemed to be sucked inside of his chest. There was a brief moment of tension, before Sakaki sighed with relief and released Haseo's shoulder.

"Excellent. The treatment was a success. He will begin breathing soon, and then his vitals will stabilize shortly after that." Sakaki turned to Haseo. "Thank you, Terror of Death. Without you, this would never have happened."

"Oh… it was nothing." Haseo replied, not sure what to say. He glanced at Kaoru briefly, and then turned to Atoli. "How are you doing, Atoli?"

"… Huh? Oh, I'm fine…" She seemed distracted by something. Haseo raised an eyebrow. Atoli may have been a lot of things, but she wasn't an airhead. He wondered what was on her mind, so he reached over to touch her hand. At that very instant, he stopped himself.

"_No, Atoli's thoughts are her own. If something's bothering her, she should figure it out for herself. If she wants to talk to me about it, she can come of her own free will and ask me. I'm not going to invade her mind just so I can have the self-gratification of knowing what she's thinking."_ And with that resolution, Haseo pulled his hand back. If it weren't for the fact that he wasn't touching the mirror, he would have sworn that he had heard Skeith scoff.

Haseo turned to walk away from Kaoru's cot and was nearly barreled over by Saku in the process. He watched as she immediately started fussing over her "dear Master En", and sighed. What exactly he had gotten himself into, he wasn't quite sure. However, he knew that he was stuck with these people, and so he had better start getting used to them.

Suddenly, the tent flaps began to shake violently, and the wind began to howl against the sides of the tent. Haseo turned to see huge volumes of sand flying in the partially-sealed entryway. Sakaki also saw the leak in the tent flap, and waved his hand through the air. Instantly, the doorway sealed itself shut, and the mountain of sand in the doorway stopped growing.

Sakaki sighed. "The sandstorm has grown fierce; nothing could survive out there for long. I highly recommend that you four stay here until the sandstorm subsides. I can create extra rooms for you each to sleep in. Is this alright with you, Terror of Death?" He raised an eyebrow at Haseo, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"Sounds fine to me," was Haseo's reply. "Do what you need to do, Sakaki." Haseo may have thought that Sakaki was nothing more than an arrogant, condescending jerk, but he was, at the very least, a _helpful_ arrogant condescending jerk, so he trusted him to act in their best interest. Sakaki nodded and busily got to work creating more rooms attached to the main tent. Haseo turned his thoughts inward and touched the mirror.

"_Skeith?"_

_What?_ The Epitaph seemed irate.

"… _Don't tell me you're still mad about me saving Kaoru?"_ He decided to get straight to the point.

_Oh, no, don't mind me. I'm just here in your head to be the comic relief._

"_Don't be like that, Skeith. I'm not going to say that I'm sorry, because I'm not. You shouldn't throw a fit every time you don't get your way."_

… _Since when did you become so trusting, huh?_

Haseo raised an eyebrow. The subject change was a bit of a curveball. _"What do you mean?"_

_Don't be like that, Haseo. You used to never trust anyone but that old man. Nobody was your friend, and everyone was your enemy. Why is it that ever since you met Atoli, despite how many times they've betrayed you, you just trust everyone all of a sudden? When you can answer me that, __**maybe**__ I'll tell you why I'm not happy._

"_Skeith…?"_

No reply.

Haseo pulled his hand away from his pocket. Sakaki had finished creating the new rooms, so he went to his, the first one. The inside of the room was very plain; a cot with a few blankets, and a small bedside table. He sat on the cot and wrung his hands for a few seconds, then laid down and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

What Skeith had said wasn't entirely untrue; he had become a lot more trusting since he had met Atoli. He hadn't even realized it. Even after she had completely betrayed him, he had still believed in her. And he had never doubted Iori for a second; even after Iori had turned out to be an Epitaph User, he hadn't really been _that_ distrusting of him. It was starting to disturb him, and he tried to reason out the reason for his sudden change.

"_Maybe… maybe I've been so distrusting for so long, I… I need to feel like there's someone that I can trust. But, that could be Skeith, too. Skeith's never really given me a reason not to trust him… Although, what about my battle with Endrance? Skeith went berserk and I couldn't stop him… I suppose I have to trust Skeith, since we're stuck together…"_

"_But, why did meeting Atoli suddenly make me such a trusting person? Was it because I felt like I could trust her? Because I felt she had my best interests at heart? Even so, she betrayed me. She attacked me, almost killed me… But she's not so bad now. She's even kind of __**nice**__ now…"_

"… _Man, all of this self-reflecting is making my head hurt." _He sat up and scratched the back of his head, completely and utterly confused. He wanted to believe in the best of people, but he was suddenly getting a creeping feeling of mistrust inside. _"Why __**do**__ I trust them? So they're nice to me; big deal. What have they ever done to deserve my trust? Am I just being naïve? Skeith probably thinks so. Maybe that's what he's so upset about. I'm being stupid and naïve, and he knows it. He's worried about me; he doesn't want me to get hurt again." _He paused for a moment. _"Am I just being stupid? Am I opening myself up to betrayal again? Am I letting myself go soft?"_

"_Maybe… but… it's lonely being mistrusting. I was always lonely. Maybe I'm being more trusting of people because… I don't want to be lonely anymore. I know that I'm never alone, because of Skeith, but… Talking to someone in your head is different from talking to a different person. You don't know how they're going to react, what they're thinking, or what they'll do to you. I suppose that's what Skeith's trying to protect me from, but it's part of being human."_

Haseo's internal conflict continued well into the night; all the while, he could feel himself slipping back into his old mistrustful mindset. He argued the conflict from both sides, but for some reason, the distrusting side of the argument always seemed to win. It was hard on Haseo; he knew he needed to trust Atoli, Sakaki, and Sakubo, but he was increasingly losing his ability to do so. He was getting uneasy just laying there, and he glanced at the flap leading to the room where everyone else was. He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep, but the argument continued. He tried to take his mind off of the subject, but it always ended up creeping back into his thoughts. He could finally feel himself slipping into sleep, when he heard a small voice.

"Haseo…?"

Haseo begrudgingly opened his eyes a crack. He could make out Atoli's silhouette in the doorway, and she looked slightly nervous. Haseo opened his eyes fully and sat up.

"Atoli? … What's wrong?" He asked, that creeping feeling growing inside him again.

"Umm… Err… What I mean is…" Atoli appeared to be trying to construct a coherent sentence, but was failing miserably. She shook her head, as if trying to clear her head, and continued. "Haseo, I need to talk to you about something."

"About what? What's wrong, Atoli?" Haseo repeated, growing more uneasy with every second. It was killing him; here was a girl that he had once trusted, and now he couldn't look at her without feeling slightly queasy. It was like his image of her had been poisoned somehow. Haseo felt like he was surrounded by people he couldn't trust anymore.

"Well..." Atoli walked over and sat down on the cot next to him. He shuddered imperceptibly and moved away from her slightly. "… It's Endrance and Sakubo. I… really wanted to explore other worlds with just us two… but, I would feel bad if we left them behind. So, I… wanted to ask your opinion."

Haseo didn't hear any of what she said after the words "just us two". He was growing more and more unnerved as the seconds passed. _"Would I even enjoy traveling with her anymore? She's only ever been a nuisance. Why the heck am I so conflicted about this? Come on, Haseo, just make a decision. It's not that hard-"_

"… Haseo?" Atoli leaned forward and tried to make eye contact with him, but he wasn't paying attention. "Haseo!"

"… Huh?" Haseo snapped back to attention and turned to look at her. "Sorry, Atoli. I've just… got a lot on my mind." He sighed and wrung his hands. "I just… I need some time to think things through." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was only a few seconds later that he felt a warm pair of hands clutching his. Haseo opened his eyes and looked at the girl sitting next to him. "… Atoli…?"

"Haseo… I don't know what you're thinking, but… I'd like you to understand what I'm thinking. I want you to know… that… well…" She let her words trail off, and suddenly Haseo felt her thoughts trying to enter his mind. Almost instinctively, he shut her out, but her grip tightened on his hands. "Please, don't push me away, Haseo… I want you to understand my feelings." Haseo looked at her, and she looked at him. Despite the terrible feeling in his gut, he just couldn't say no to her. Hesitantly, he opened his mind and felt her thoughts entering.

"… _Haseo… I… I feel so sorry for all of the trouble I cause you. I never feel like what I'm doing is enough… I… I'm so happy to be with you, though… I never thought… after what happened, that you'd ever trust me again… I feel… so happy whenever I'm with you… I feel complete, like I can actually be someone. I used to feel like a failure all the time, everywhere I went… I'm so glad… to be with you…" _Haseo didn't just hear her thoughts, he felt her emotions. It was an eye-opening experience.

Haseo felt for once that he truly, truly understood Atoli.

And it broke his heart.

"… _Atoli… I'm glad you think so highly of me… but I… I just don't know… I've never really ever trusted anyone. I suppose I've never even trusted myself. I always pushed people away… I tried to shut everyone out, to protect myself… I feel so conflicted. I don't know who I can trust and who I can't trust. My life… my entire life has been terrible, and now I've come to learn that that entire terrible life that I thought I had lived was all a lie… I don't even know myself. How can I trust others if I can't trust myself?"_

Atoli looked at him with a sad gleam in her eyes. _"You… don't trust me… do you, Haseo…?"_

"_Atoli… I'm sorry…"_

"_No, don't be."_ Atoli shook her head fervently. _"That just means that I have to work harder to be worthy of your trust, that's all. You'll see someday, Haseo… that I want nothing more than to be by your side…"_ She released his hands and stood up. "I'm sorry I disturbed you, Haseo. I'll let you sleep now." She walked slowly over to the door, and before Haseo could protest, closed the tent flap, bathing him in darkness.

Haseo let himself fall back on the cot. _"I'm such an idiot."_ Was his only comment.

Had he been touching the mirror, Skeith more than likely would have agreed.

* * *

"It's time, isn't it?" Kuhn asked.

"Yes. Are you nervous?" Pi glared at him from behind the cold gleam of her glasses.

"No, no, of course not. It's just…" Kuhn took a deep breath. "It's just that this'll be my first time meeting another Epitaph User besides you or Yata." He braced himself for a tirade, but none came. _"Odd,"_ Kuhn thought, since Pi _never_ tolerated disrespect, especially to Yata. Maybe she was too preoccupied with her impending task to care.

"I'm not worried. If everything goes according to Master Yata's plan, then all of the pieces should have neatly fallen into place by now. Nothing will go awry, and we will have accomplished our goal." Pi responded almost robotically.

Kuhn frowned. He had always wondered why Pi was so intent on carrying out Yata's orders; why she was so set on doing everything Yata said. Feeling slightly daring –and maybe a touch suicidal- Kuhn reached over and lightly touched her hand.

"_I must obey Master Yata… I know that if I do, he will finally look at __**me**__… He will see me as more than a Servant, but as a real person… a living being with feelings and emotions and thoughts… My opinion will finally be important to him… __**I**__ will finally be important to him…"_ It was then that Pi realized that Kuhn was touching her. _"… Do you have a death wish, __**Kuhn!? Leave my thoughts alone!**__"_ Kuhn instantly jumped back as she whirled around to face him, a look of absolute fury on her face.

"I-I'm sorry, Pi! Please, forgive me!!" He cowered, as he used to when he was just a little kid, terrified of invoking her wrath. The painful lessons had been beaten into him as a child; you _**never**_ crossed Pi, period. She didn't give any heed to his apologies; Kuhn grimaced as a rain of blows fell upon his entire body, sharp stinging pains sending torturous messages through his nerve endings to his brain. He instinctively curled into a fetal position and cried from the sheer pain. It had been _years_ since Pi had been this angry, and her strength had only increased since then.

It was a good three minutes before the blows stopped. Kuhn stayed where he was; he knew that if he uncurled out of his protected position, he would only be subject to more pain. He simply lay there in a pathetic heap until he could hear Pi's heels clicking out of the room. Slowly he uncurled himself, aching all the while. It was so agonizing to even try to stand up. Kuhn knew that if Pi defeated Haseo, then Haseo would end up just like he was. He wouldn't be anything but a stepping stone, something to trample on and get angry at. Kuhn massaged his aching arms and looked at the exit that Pi had just left through.

He consulted his avatar.

"_I think… I understand Pi a little bit better now. She's like me; she just wants to be acknowledged. I guess what she doesn't realize is that in trying to get Yata to acknowledge her, she's also done the same thing to me. All I want is for Pi to acknowledge me, but she's so caught up in vying for Yata's attention that she doesn't even notice me. I'm just a punching bag to her."_

_Don't be so down on yourself! You'll find a way someday, Kuhn. I know it. It may not be today, or tomorrow, or the next day, but someday, she'll understand how you feel. Maybe then she'll stop treating you like a punching bag. Although, I think somewhere deep inside you-_

"_Don't even start, Magus!" _Kuhn cut his avatar off fervidly.

… _You like it._

"_Do not!"_

_You like it._

"_Do not!"_

_You know you do, Kuhn. It's the only thing she ever does to acknowledge your existence._

"_You call getting beaten into a pulp __**enjoyable**__, Magus!?"_

_When it's by a pretty lady like her, heck yeah!_

"_Magus!"_ Kuhn thought exasperatedly. He and his avatar always had little spats like these. But Kuhn knew, deep down inside, that he really did like setting her off, even if it was only a tiny bit of enjoyment that he got from it. _"… Does that make me a masochist?"_

_Who knows? Maybe it's just a sign that you're still a man._

Kuhn closed his eyes and smiled. Even in the darkest, most painful times, there was always Magus.

* * *

_Got your answer yet, kid?_

"_Huh?"_

Haseo looked around. He had no idea where he was; everything was black, save for what seemed to be a spotlight on him. Haseo looked around, trying to find something in the darkness, but then recognized who had been talking to him.

"Skeith?" He called out, still looking around.

"Over here," Skeith called out. Suddenly, behind him, another spotlight came on, and Haseo turned to see his avatar step into the light.

Skeith's appearance was slightly different from what Haseo had been imagining. Skeith looked like Haseo's combat form, but it was as if someone had inverted the colors of his clothes, hair, and eyes. He had a smirk on his face that, while not being childish, per se, seemed extremely condescending. Haseo turned to face him, and Skeith spoke up.

"Just in case you're wondering, this is a dream." Skeith folded his arms and leaned one hip to the side. "And at the same time, this isn't a dream. I'm really talking to you right now, and you're really talking to me. Cool, huh?"

Haseo stood dumbfounded. He was asleep? And Skeith was talking to him in his dreams? This was getting bizarre.

"So…" Skeith started walking in a circle around Haseo. "… Have you come up with your answer yet?"

"… My answer…?" Haseo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "… You already know my answer."

"Yeah, I know it, but I want to hear you _say_ it." Skeith countered. "Is that too much to ask?" He stopped walking and stood in that same position, this time his glare was drilling holes into the back of Haseo's head. Haseo took another deep breath, trying to put his feelings into words.

"I… I think I became more trusting because I… I didn't want to be lonely anymore. I wanted someone to be there for me." Skeith narrowed his eyes and was about to protest, but Haseo cut him off. "Yes, I know that that could have been you all along, but its different trusting someone inside my head to be there for me, rather than trusting someone _outside_ my head to be there for me. There are things you can do for me that nobody else can do. Likewise, there are things that other people can do for me that you can't do." Skeith frowned, but nodded.

"I see. So that's how you feel." Skeith commented nonchalantly.

"Now, what's bothering you, Skeith?" Haseo turned on his avatar. He had been doing his soul-searching, now he wanted some answers.

"… Haseo. Are you really planning to take all three of them with you exploring?" Skeith was wearing a surprisingly serious expression. "Didn't we agree that we wanted to explore the worlds, just the two of us?" Haseo was slightly taken aback. Skeith's concerns were completely unrelated. Or maybe they weren't; maybe Skeith didn't want the others to travel with them because he didn't trust them. Not that it really mattered either way.

"I… I remember, Skeith. I do remember agreeing to that." Haseo replied slowly. "I guess I can't really say that "things have changed", can I…" Skeith shook his head. "Well, I… I don't know if we can, Skeith. Atoli would be heartbroken if we just left her…"

"Who cares?" Skeith shot back. "She's just some dumb brat-"

"Don't talk about her like that!" Haseo snapped at his avatar. "She's not just some disposable rag doll!"

Skeith, if he was affected in any way by Haseo's outburst, didn't show it. Haseo took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. Skeith continued.

"We didn't just agree to it, you _promised _me. Remember that?" Skeith raised an eyebrow.

Haseo let his head hang. "… Yes. I remember…"

"Then why are we just waiting here? Let's just leave! There are still other worlds to be explored, let's just wake up and _go!_" Skeith put heavy emphasis on the last word, and began tapping his foot impatiently. Haseo sighed. Skeith was nearly impossible to reason with. Once he had his mind made up about something, he rarely changed it.

"… So that's it. You just want to go? No goodbye, see you later, hope you don't die in the sandstorm? That's what you want to do?" Haseo spoke slowly and carefully.

"Yup. That's about it." Skeith said, still tapping his foot.

"You just want to abandon them? I hate pulling rank like this, but they're my Servants. How would you feel if your Master just abandoned you?" Haseo tried to argue from a different approach.

Skeith thought for a moment. "… Probably the same way I'm feeling now."

Haseo raised an eyebrow. "And that is…?" Skeith paused for a second before replying quietly.

"… Betrayed."

Haseo felt like he had just been stabbed in the stomach, which was a feeling he knew all too well. Now Skeith felt… betrayed? So many things were happening at once, Haseo couldn't keep up anymore. He felt like life was just pulling him along for the ride, and he wasn't able to please anybody anymore.

"… To be honest, this is all so confusing…" Haseo massaged his temples wearily.

"What's confusing about it? Just leave. Deal with the consequences later." Skeith replied casually, as if it were no big deal.

"That's just being reckless, Skeith." Haseo commented bluntly.

"So? What's wrong with being reckless? Come on, Haseo, life's short. Live a little!" Skeith waved his arms around, apparently trying for some dramatic effect. "You shouldn't be so concerned about other people. You never used to be, at the very least."

Haseo cringed. Skeith's words were getting under his skin. He sighed, defeated.

"You know what? Fine. We'll leave." Skeith's eyes lit up. "But we're only doing this just to show you what's wrong with being reckless, alright? Don't blame me if things get bad."

Skeith looked happy enough that Haseo was slightly afraid that he was going to bounce up and down in glee. Haseo sighed, and then wondered how he was supposed to wake up. Skeith walked up to him, and then pinched him forcefully on the shoulder.

"Let's go now!" Skeith said happily, and then Haseo woke up in bed, completely and fully awake. His thigh was burning; the mirror in his pocket was getting hotter and hotter with every passing second. Haseo dug his hand in and pulled it out, and almost immediately wished he hadn't. Skeith was immediately pestering him; like a little kid in the back of the van on a road trip that bounces unceasingly in his seat saying "Are we there yet?"

_Come on, come on, come on! Let's go! _Skeith was undeniably excited. Haseo sighed, and then opened a door in the middle of his room. Putting the mirror back into his pocket, he glanced back at the tiny sliver of light coming from the other room. He sighed, reluctant to go.

"Bye guys," Haseo whispered, "it was nice knowing you." He turned, and left behind no traces that he had ever been there as the door closed.

* * *

Pi stood impatiently at the landing of the Realm of Infinite Staircases. She wasn't even sure how long she had been there. She didn't mind the wait, though. Pi had been waiting for this day for so long that a few minutes or even a few hours didn't seem to matter to her. All that mattered was carrying out her orders. She sighed and tapped her foot impatiently, awaiting his inevitable arrival.

Pi suddenly wondered how he would react to her. She hadn't even considered that possibility. What if he completely distrusted her, and then didn't go with her? Pi shook her head, knowing that she would simply have to cross that bridge when she came to it. Now was not the time to doubt her orders. She stood waiting, arms folded, foot tapping.

Suddenly, she felt it. One of the doorways activating. She uncrossed her arms and looked up. It was indeed Endrance's world's door. A thin smile spread over her face.

It was time.

* * *

_She was fleeing; down the dark hallway, the dark stains of blood seared terrible images into her eyes; visions of violence, murder, of bloodlust. Stains of the very life-bringing essence that beat through her own veins, pushing her own legs forward__.__A__s she fled __they __spoke whispers of the dead as they dripped slowly and silently downward, feeding the earth with their anguish._

_The hallway descended into a set of stairs. More blood was splattered everywhere, and she tried to push the horrifying thoughts from her mind, running, running, reaching the bottom of the stairs as she heard a crash from above. A voice, one that was familiar and terrifying at the same time, nearly made her heart falter and her legs turn to ice._

_"Don't you dare try to run away!"_

_She turned, and immediately knew she shouldn't have. A dark shadow loomed in the air, hovering. Time seemed to freeze, and she knew she couldn't escape. She closed her eyes, awaiting the pain._

_Strong hands grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down, pinning her firmly to the ground. She hit the floor hard, and she could feel his muscles straining to hold himself up and her down. The slick leather gloves and sharp metal claws bit into her bare shoulders, warm from his own body heat. His hair brushed against her forehead, and his hot breath on her cheeks told her that his face was very close to hers. She struggled uselessly, thrashing her shoulders viciously up and down. His grip tightened and his weight held her helplessly to the ground. Just like cat and mouse, she had been caught. The game was over. His hands controlled her shoulders, and his knees dug into her thighs, holding her legs firmly in place. Desperately, she__ lashed__ her whole body__ around__, screaming for mercy._

_"Please! Stop! No!! Please don't!!!"_

And with this, Atoli lurched up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat, breathing hard. However, immediately after this sudden jerking motion, her wrists and elbows gave out, and she fell backwards back onto the cot, face-up. Pain shot through her joints, and she cursed fate for giving her such a painful Fatal Flaw.

"… _A nightmare… yes. That was just a nightmare. I was dreaming."_ Atoli took deep breaths to try to steady her nerves, but for some reason her heartbeat wouldn't slow down. _"But… that felt awfully real for a dream… And… was that person…"_ She shook her head violently, in complete denial. _"No, no, no! That couldn't have possibly been… But… maybe… it was… Haseo?"_ She shook her head again. _"But… it's just a dream. It doesn't mean anything. Right?"_ Atoli touched her mirror. Innis didn't respond, for better or for worse. Atoli sighed and carefully stood up. _"Maybe I should talk to Haseo about this…"_ She knew that she had probably bothered him enough for the night, but she just needed some confirmation.

She walked over to the tent flap separating their rooms. Just as Atoli was about to open it, she stopped. _"Maybe I should just let him sleep…"_ She thought. _"He had a pretty rough day, since he was the only one fighting…"_ Immediately a feeling of worthlessness welled up in her stomach. She hadn't been any help to him in the battle with Endrance and Sakubo. He had fought for them both. She had just left him with the entire burden, not even helping one bit. Atoli hung her head, but then straightened up. Now wasn't the time to be wallowing in self-pity. She grabbed the tent flap and pulled it aside. She poked her head into the room.

"Haseo…? Haseo, I-" Atoli suddenly felt her voice fail her. Her eyes widened, she suddenly began to shake and quiver, and took a hesitant step into the room.

Haseo was gone.

Atoli shook her head, not willing to believe it. She immediately searched all of the other rooms, and when Sakaki came upon her in her frenzied state, he immediately knew something was wrong.

"… Is everything alright, Mirage of Deceit?" Sakaki tilted his head curiously, and Atoli immediately started sobbing and spluttering.

"S-S-Saka-k-ki, I-I-I, I c-c-can't-t-t…" She seemed incapable of making a coherent sentence.

"Please, calm down. Take a deep breath and tell me what is wrong." Sakaki took her by the shoulders and led her to her room, where he sat her down on her cot. She took deep, shuddering breaths, and finally blurted out the cause of her shock.

"I can't find Haseo…!" Atoli broke down sobbing immediately afterward, and Sakaki immediately began searching as well. He too could not find the missing Epitaph User, and Atoli only cried harder.

"We will find him, Mirage of Deceit." Sakaki tried to assure her. "He cannot have gotten to far. The Terror of Death can take care of himself, there is no need to worry." He massaged her shoulder, trying to get her to calm down, but she only sobbed harder. Sakaki winced; he had never been great at emotional support. But just then, he heard the tent flap being pushed aside, and two people entered the room.

"Atoli…" Kaoru had apparently woken up in time to hear Atoli's distress. "… I will help you find him… I want… to find Haseo as well…"

Atoli sniffed and looked up. "K-Kaoru…?"

"Haseo… saved me… He had no reason to do so… yet he did… Perhaps I… was wrong about him. I want… to be able to thank him personally…" Kaoru closed his eyes and sighed. "I will help you find him, Atoli… merely because Haseo has given me the opportunity to do so…"

"I-I want to help too!" came a small voice from behind Kaoru. Sakubo peeked out from behind Kaoru's legs. "I want to help find Big Brother Haseo! And… And… Saku does too! She doesn't like to admit it, but Big Brother Haseo is the reason why Master En is healed now! She's got to be grateful for that! So, we'll help too, in whatever way we can!"

"Bo… Saku… Kaoru… Thank you… so much…" Atoli suddenly started to get teary-eyed again, but this time Sakaki could tell that they were tears of joy. She suddenly stood up, as if ready to take on the challenge. "… Let's go, then! We've got to find Haseo!"

* * *

Haseo slowly descended the staircase, taking each step carefully. It seemed odd to be walking alone on a staircase; this was the first time that he had ever been unaccompanied. It was quiet, but for some reason, he could have sworn that he heard a quiet _tap tap_ noise coming from somewhere. Haseo ignored it, and continued walking towards the landing.

Once he reached the landing, he was in for a surprise.

"Hello, Haseo." The woman at the landing glared at him coldly. Just looking at her made him shiver, but he couldn't really describe why. She was average height, only a little bit taller than Haseo himself, with brown hair that was slightly longer than shoulder-length and steel-grey eyes. She was dressed in a plain black dress shirt and plain black skirt, with modest heels, which she was tapping softly. Haseo raised an eyebrow at her as he regarded her.

"… And you are?" Haseo frowned. Anyone who knew his name for reasons other than him introducing himself was clearly suspicious. The woman chuckled and shook her head.

"Of course, my apologies. My name is Pi. As in the number, not the pastry. You know, 3.1415926535…" She started listing the decimal places of Pi, and Haseo had heard more than enough to justify cutting her off.

"Okay, okay, I get it, lady. Jeez." His head was starting to hurt from all of the numbers. Haseo had never been stellar at math. "So, what are you doing here, exactly?" He figured he might as well try to figure out her motives right off the bat; of course, it wasn't like he didn't already _know_ her motives.

"I came here to offer you a chance to see my world." Pi replied, and for some reason, Haseo got the distinct impression that someone had fed her lines. He reached into his pocket and tried consulting Skeith.

_Aww… why not? Let's be a little reckless! _Was Skeith's answer. How predictable.

"_But Skeith, this lady…"_ Skeith cut him off, though.

_Reckless, remember? Come on, let's go! It'll be fun._

"… _Whatever you say. You're the one calling the shots, remember?"_ Haseo sighed, defeated. There _was_ no arguing with Skeith, after all.

"So, you'll come with me to see my world?" Pi asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, you old hag." Haseo replied arrogantly, turning around to see which staircase might be hers. She didn't seem that old, but he knew that it would probably be best to push her buttons and see how she reacted.

"O-Old hag!?" Pi seemed to be having difficulty restraining her temper. She closed her eyes, took deep breaths, and seemed to be saying something to herself over and over again. Haseo raised an eyebrow at her, and then pointed to a staircase with a dark pink symbol that looked like a circle with six nails piercing it.

"Is this your staircase?" Haseo asked, completely ignoring her reaction to his "old hag" comment.

"Y-yes, it is." She was slowly regaining her composure, and walked over to the staircase. "Follow me." Pi quickly ascended the staircase with Haseo close on her heels. She didn't say a word the entire time they were climbing the stairs, and Haseo didn't dare address her. She seemed angry enough as it was. All the while, Haseo wondered what kind of world he was about to go to. Would it be anything like the other worlds he had visited? They all seemed so distinctly different from each other. Finally, they reached the light, and Haseo had to once again shield his hyper-sensitive eyes from the piercing rays.

When the light finally faded, he still found himself needing to squint. The sun was blinding, it's warm, bright rays beat down on him and made him feel like he was trapped in an oven. After several agonizing seconds of adjustment, Haseo was able to take in his surroundings.

He was on a tall hill overlooking an ocean that seemed to expand into forever. The grass all around him was green and soft, with a few wildflowers poking out of the ground here and there. Looking farther down the hill, he could see what appeared to be the ruins of a great city. It was all old stones, and looked like some sort of ruin you'd see of ancient Greece or Rome. Buildings had toppled and collapsed with age, and others had completely eroded away. The ruins extended far down to the water, and some of the buildings had been swallowed by the tides. The beach seemed to extend forever.

"It's amazing, Pi." Haseo suddenly realized that she wasn't next to him like he had thought she had been. He quickly looked around to see if he could see her, when suddenly a fist flew out of nowhere and nailed him square in the jaw. The force of the impact wasn't enough to shatter his jaw, but it sent him flying backwards, where he landed hard on his stomach. Spitting turf out of his mouth, he noted that other than getting the wind knocked out of him, he was fine.

"_What was that?"_ He turned on his back to get up, when suddenly a strong hand grabbed his throat and shoved him back to the ground. Wincing from the pain he looked up at his assailant. She had long, thick pink hair divided into pigtails which were held up by rather unnecessarily large clasps. Her bangs were long and divided in half evenly, and wrapped in brown leather wraps. She had fiery orange eyes, and small, intelligent looking spectacles. She was rather "well endowed", and had a revealing brown and white outfit that more than showed it off, along with a white collar and a small red tie that fit conveniently between her breasts. She had brown high heels, brown hip and thigh protectors, and white gloves, which were currently wrapped around Haseo's throat.

"P-Pi…!?" Haseo managed to splutter. He was running out of air fast, and was already feeling dizzy. He tried desperately to reach into his pocket and open the mirror, but was only able to move his arm just enough to touch it. Skeith was instantly with him, trying to reassure him.

_Don't worry, Haseo. She can't really do anything major to you unless she knows your-_ Skeith's comment was cut off when Pi brought her face close to Haseo's and whispered something that nearly made his heart stop.

"_Don't move, Ryou Misaki!" _She seethed.

_**NO!**_ Skeith shouted angrily. _How did she-!?_

Instantly, Haseo felt his limbs drain of all strength. Unable to maintain his grip on the mirror, Haseo lay helplessly as Skeith's indignant cries faded into silence. Pi released his throat, and he gasped for air; clearly he could still breathe. Pi glared down at him and shook her head.

"You were too naïve, Terror of Death." Was her only comment, before reaching down and touching his forehead. "Sleep, Terror of Death. _Sleep, Ryou Misaki._"

Instantly, Haseo felt a warm, heavy feeling pass through his body, along with a sudden, undeniable urge to close his eyes and sleep. It wasn't anything like the feeling that he had felt when he passed out fighting Endrance; he had gotten a sick, woozy feeling then. Now it was like a pleasant feeling, and it was becoming increasingly more and more difficult to keep his eyes open. Haseo knew in every fiber of his being that if he closed his eyes it meant certain death, but he couldn't help it as his eyes continued to close. It was a terrible feeling; not being in control of your own body, but Haseo couldn't resist it as his eyes shut and he drifted into an unconscious state. The last waking memory he had was of a desperate mental plea.

"_Skeith, help…!"_

CLIFFHANGER!! *cue evil-sounding music*

About Pi: I couldn't really find any good cannon resources that described Reiko, Pi's real-life counterpart, so I kind of had to take some artistic liscence there. I tried to make her out to be an intelligent looking woman who was strong and independent (okay, maybe not in that exact wording, but you get the point).

NEXT CHAPTER: Raven makes their move! How will Haseo react? Will Atoli and co. find him in time? What will Kuhn do when put on the spot? Find out in the next chapter!

And as always, review please. I need reviews to get and keep me going. It always makes me happy to look in my inbox and see a plethora of good, _thoughtful_ reviews. ^_^

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